SALEM, Ore. – It took just one season for second-year head coach Kylie Frizell to establish herself as a formidable coach within the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) and NAIA scene, as the Corban University Women's Basketball team snapped losing streaks to rivals, established winning streaks against conference foes, and set new program-highs that hadn't been achieved in years. Now, Coach Frizell is anticipating a season filled with even higher expectations, most notably finding a way to earn a trip to the NAIA National Tournament, an achievement that has not been accomplished in close to a decade for Warrior women's basketball program.

"I'm really excited to get this season kicked off," began Coach Frizell when asked to discuss her program's upcoming winter of competition. "There's a lot of excitement on the team to prove that we are real contenders this year by buying into getting better every day. In one season, we were able to improve all statistical categories except for two, so we are looking to keep building on our principles, specifically on the defensive end of the court."

Coach Frizell continued her thoughts by stating, "Everything we do stems from our core values: Be a great teammate, tenacity, and trust. My hope is that anyone who comes to watch us this season can see those core values on display, as our foundation is in Christ and we use that as an opportunity to compete and worship Him through the game of basketball."

Season Schedule/Key Matchups

Later today, the Warriors officially kick off their 2025-26 regular season campaign on their home court, as they'll once again host a trio of NAIA programs for the Hampton Inn Classic. Corban will serve as tournament host to fellow CCC school Eastern Oregon University in a two-day, four-game weekend that will see both the Warriors and Mounties face Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and No. 18-ranked Arizona Christian University on Tim Hills Court.

Following the Hampton Inn Classic and a Thursday night matchup with RV Hope International University at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, the Navy and Gold won't play on their home court again until the first week of December, as they'll travel for five separate road non-conference matchups across the Pacific Northwest prior to hosting I-5 rival Bushnell University on December 2nd in the CCC opener for both institutions.

The entire non-conference schedule features a healthy mix of both NAIA and NCAA competition, beginning with their three-straight NAIA matchups before an exhibition at NCAA DI Oregon State University will hopefully expose early flaws that will help teach them how to better prepare for the next five DII and DIII opponents.

Only two home dates in December will be complimented by a busy home schedule in both January and February, with over half of the regular season weekend matchups taking place on Tim Hills Court. The CCC's top-ranked program, No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State College, will visit the Mid-Willamette Valley on January 10th, while No. 14-ranked Oregon Tech and No. 15-ranked Southern Oregon University represent the penultimate home weekend for Corban on February 6th and 7th, respectively.

The Warriors' 2026 Senior Night will take place on February 14th against the same Mountaineer program that they open the season hosting on a neutral site basis, with senior day festivities expected to take place over the course of the entire weekend while they anticipate to battle for seeding within the conference tournament, which begins on February 27th and runs through March 2nd using the new one-site format adopted by CCC coaches.

Conference Outlook

As if the 2024-25 regular season wasn't groundbreaking enough for the Cascade Conference with the first undefeated run by a single team along with four more respective forces earning bids to the NAIA National Tournament and two securing spots at the final site. The 2025-26 CCC Coaches' Preseason Poll results show just how divided the conference remains on who the top team will is come season's end, as four different programs received first-place votes and the second, third, and fourth teams in the preseason standings were all separated by a single voter point.

The one-loss Southern Oregon team from last year lost all but one starter to garner third-place expectations less than 365 days removed from steamrolling the CCC last season, while the Warrior of LC State are expected to bring back many of the same student-athletes who played for a conference championship title at SOU for a second-straight tournament last year. Likewise, just a few key players for the Lady Owls and RV College of Idaho lost to the graduation cycle or transfer portal provide the two conference juggernauts with plenty of experienced options to work with this upcoming winter.

The second tier of programs as clearly visible in this year's preseason poll results is made up of Eastern Oregon, Corban, and Bushnell, with all three riding postseason appearance streaks of various lengths while they see student-athletes continuously earning All-Conference accolades and secure the occasional upset across the NAIA. With the Warriors nestled directly between EOU and their travel partners from the southern end of the Willamette Valley in terms of both campus location and expected finish, Coach Frizell has her team positioned in the dead middle of the CCC and tout both a high ceiling while maintain a high floor as the remainder of the conference continues to build back to their programs' glory days.

Key Returners/Newcomers

Three of Coach Frizell's five starters from her first season leading the Warriors into battle return once again this year, with guards Tori Younker and Jenna Albrecht leading the large returning rotation that will feature a healthy dose of upperclassmen while the returning sophomores and incoming true freshmen are expected to work their way into specific gameplans and set pieces.

Younker, the redshirt senior from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, led the team in assists last season (2.6 APG) as she shared point guard duties with both Albrecht and recent program graduate Alyssa Wyllie, who will now serve a new role with the program as Coach Frizell's lead assistant coach. Albrecht's 796 minutes played in 2024-25 represented the team-high and was one of seven student-athletes to play in all 29 games while starting in 28 of them (would also have been 29 starts if not for Senior Night considerations).

While the program did lose a four-year starting post player in forward Madison Hodnett to the spring commencement ceremony, senior forward Mandie Jensen and Sevennah Van De Riet return to the mix once again with their irksome on-ball defense while rebounding well both on the offensive glass and defensive glass. With junior guard Lizzy Bennett expected to be sidelined most of the upcoming season due to offseason injury, Jensen, Van De Riet, and junior guard Tayla Yost are likely to see more playing time in the key surrounded by a never-ending barrage of shooting guards.

In addition to a plethora of returning starters from the 2024-25 roster, Coach Frizell welcomed a seven-woman recruiting class over the summer and into the fall term that have already integrated themselves into the rotation and will expect to serve in key roles throughout this upcoming season. Among the seven new Warriors were four true freshman and three transfers, highlighted by the reigning CCC Freshman of the Year in redshirt sophomore guard Jersey Huerta.

In one complete season at former CCC member Multnomah University, Huerta established herself as the single most dominant scorer across the Pacific Northwest, averaging nearly 20 points per game as a lethal offensive player, in transition, from beyond the three-point arc, and serving as a true point guard with her ability to find open shooters. Joining Huerta in the starting lineup will be graduate student center Emilia Bishop, as the NCAA DII transfer will fit right into Coach Frizell's offensive gameplan while providing a steady defensive presence that's difficult to find in a true center.

Not to be overshadowed by the incoming transfers, the four true freshmen all bring their own unique capabilities to the newly established roster, most notably guard Izzy McCauley who has shown she can hang with the best scorers in the OSAA during her Southern Oregon Conference Player of the Year run in her senior season.

Warrior Whims (Final Thoughts)

Coach Frizell once again maintained a healthy number of guards between her first and second seasons as a Warrior and will continue to find success in utilizing her speedy pace of play to keep opposing programs winded despite conceding advantage in height across all five positions at certain times. However, with the return of a healthy Albrecht who was coming off a brutal injury the year prior in 2024-25, along with the addition of Huerta and multiple freshmen guards who will bolster the already guard-heavy lineup, Younker is free to return to her natural position at shooting guard and only further improve upon her offensive numbers.

The likelihood of a top four CCC regular season finish, deep conference tournament run, and the first NAIA national tournament appearance in seven years for the Corban women's basketball team is expected to rely heavily on a healthy roster and seeing how the new pieces integrate with the returning framework Coach Frizell has laid out for the Navy and Gold. Finding success within one of the NAIA's most diverse and difficult conferences for women's basketball won't be an easy feat with three teams ranked within the top 15 programs in the country while another receives votes in the national preseason poll.

The NAIA scene is never easy to predict season expectations, especially in the aspect of women's basketball where teams can go undefeated through the entirety of the regular season only to meet their untimely fate in postseason matchups where it matters most. While on the other hand, teams that appear to take steps backwards when compared to years past can suddenly find themselves in national championship scenarios. Be that as it may, Coach Frizell's Warriors are prepared for the journey that lies ahead, no matter what He has laid out in store for them.

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