GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a relatively new coaching staff and a top five pair lineup consisting of mainly first-year starters, the Corban University Beach Volleyball team has remained true to their inaugural roots throughout the 2024 season and will enter the NAIA National Invitational for the third-straight year with a slightly different perspective: representing the No. 1-overall seed among all programs.
"It's truly an honor to be at our third NAIA National Tournament," shared Warriors' associate head coach Avari Ridgway. "This season has been a journey of preparation, and we couldn't be prouder of our team's dedication. As they step onto the courts tomorrow, they do so with excitement and readiness to give their all. Just as we've done all season, we hold high expectations for our players. They've poured their hearts into their training, and we have every confidence that they'll rise to the occasion and achieve some remarkable results."
The Warriors' journey to the eastern side of the United States wasn't easy, as they fought through a competitive conference schedule and several non-conference duals that tested their ability to contend with the best in the nation early, which prepared them for some incredibly tough matchups at the end of the regular season and into the beginning of postseason play.
Corban finished the regular season with an overall record of 15-3 with an 11-1 record in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play and are currently riding a six match-winning streak into the NAIA pool play round. The captured the inaugural CCC regular season crown and swept through the first annual NAIA West Championships two weeks ago in Chula Vista, California to capture the regional title and the first of four automatic bids to this week's tourney.
The consistency out of the Warriors' top three pairs led them through a majority of their season, and yet the newcomers and key returners that have spent the last season preparing for starting roles have been the ones to step up over the past few weeks of competition. While the top two duos have remained untouched for nearly the entire year, head coach Dan Stephens and his staff have had to make difficult decisions in completing their lineup card every week and have still found the winning combinations around nearly every corner.
Junior Megan Dennis and freshman Emma Bischoff, the Navy and Gold's top twosome and CCC Pair of the Year, have left zero doubt as of late as to what they're capable of accomplishing in the sand together, as they're 7-1 in their previous eight matchups with the lone loss coming in medical forfeit fashion after leading that session up one set to none. In the battle of "Conference Pairs of the Year", Dennis and Bischoff put on a show against Alexcis Morris and Anne Mayfield from No. 6-ranked University of Saint Katherine, taking both of their matchups in sweeping fashion and using that second victory to clinch the NAIA West title.
In addition to Dennis and Bischoff, second-overall pair of junior Jessica McMillian and freshman Danae Stokes have put themselves in contention of earning All-American accolades with the season of competition they've had thus far, losing only three bouts all year long and have remained unbeaten in postseason play. The energy that both McMillian/Stokes and fourth pair of redshirt freshman Erin Scott and freshman Allyson Reid bring to the courts in that first rotation of pairs then sets the table for the ones, threes, and fives to feed and flourish against their own opponents.
Now sitting firmly in the top overall spot of the NAIA's final coaches' poll alongside the nation's most dual wins and best winning percentage at 20-3, the Navy and Gold will have to work harder than they have all season long so far if they want to hold true to that "top dawg" mentality. As the No. 1-overall seed, Corban will play in a four-team pool alongside three other programs, represented by another regional/conference champion and two at-large selections.
In order of scheduled competition with the Warriors this week, first lies No. 5-seeded Webber International University out of the Sun Conference with an overall record of 18-8. Corban's mascot doppelgangers were also just as similar on the court in conference play this season, losing only one dual all year in Sun Conference action after a rough start to their campaign. However, since March 22nd, Webber International has yet to drop a match and are cruising on a thirteen-game winning streak into Pool Play A this week in Greeneville after representing one of few NAIA National Invitational qualifying programs to attend the AVCA Small College Beach Championships, where they emerged victorious.
Last season, Corban went 1-1 against Webber International and were able to win when it mattered most in the national semifinals, as the two programs split 3-2 decisions in Panama City and will be paired up in the same pool for the third-consecutive season. WIU is 4-2 all-time against the Navy and Gold in duals, yet Corban has won two of the previous three matchups.
Alongside WIU stands fellow Sun Conference opponent and No. 8-seeded Ave Maria University, who had a chance to dethrone the Warriors of Webber this postseason in the conference championship match but fell just short in a 3-1 result. That being said, the Gyrenes pose major upset potential after posting a 13-3 record thus far, as they own a 3-2 dual win against the aforementioned Floridian Warriors and have beaten every other ranked opponent they've faced thus far.
The Salem Warriors and Gyrenes have come face-to-face on only one other occasion in each program's history, where Ave Maria emerged victorious in a 5-0 sweep back in 2021 in the AVCA third-place match. This is AMU's first NAIA National Invitational appearance and will look to play the Cinderella story role this week in Tennessee.
Finally, representing one of three other "west coast" programs to qualify for the national tournament alongside Corban, No. 4-seeded Arizona Christian University enters the field primed for their inaugural NAIA tourney appearance after an exhausting season among the crowded Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) standings. The GSAC symbolizes the only conference to see more than two of their teams' names called this past Monday during the NAIA's selection process, as both the Firestorm and No. 2-ranked Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ) earned spots alongside GSAC Tournament Champions, No. 7-seeded Vanguard University.
Despite both being west coast based programs, the Warriors and Firestorm have never competed in dual play against one another since their teams were formed in 2020 and 2019, respectively, resulting in an "anyone's best guess" for how these two squads will matchup on Friday morning. Both Corban and ACU have lost duals to their conference rivals this year, yet have remained fairly consistent against the remainder of their challengers throughout the 2024 spring season.
Corban will battle Webber International at 10am ET/7am PT tomorrow morning for the first of three pool play games over the next two days, followed by their matchup with Ave Maria at 2pm ET/11am PT during the afternoon sessions. The Warriors will then battle ACU this Friday at 10am ET/7am PT back within the confines of the Greeneville Beach Volleyball Complex to conclude pool play. Once all twelve pool play duals have been completed by both groups, all eight program will be reseeded into a bracket play format based upon their pool play results, with at least a quarterfinal matchup guaranteed for everyone at some point Friday afternoon.
Final pair results will be made available on the 2024 Corban Beach Volleyball schedule once made available by the NAIA. Immediate results can be found on the NAIA's scoreboard page by clicking HERE, while live results will be continuously updated on the Corban Athletics Twitter/X account.
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