LA GRANDE, Ore. – For a third-consecutive season, the No. 5-ranked Corban University Women's Volleyball team will represent the second overall seed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament and thus earned a quarterfinal bye alongside tourney host and No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon University. Today, the Warriors will have an opportunity to advance to the championship match with a win over their I-5 rivals from Eugene, No. 19-ranked Bushnell University, who needed five sets to upend the eighth overall seed in Northwest University yesterday to make to their third ever semifinal appearance.
"Everyone in this conference is so tough, and this week's tournament has demonstrated exactly that thus far," explained Warriors' head coach Kim McLain when asked to evaluate the CCC Tournament to date and how she expects her program to fit into the postseason chaos. "The depth within our conference is incredible, as teams have pushed each other to five sets in all but one match in four opportunities. The upsets and tough battles truly show how competitive our conference is. Every team must battle for every point, and nothing comes easy at this level."
The 2025 regular season was represented by numerous talking points and first-year occurrences, yet there was one certainty that was expressed by the CCC that is no longer opinion but fact: the Cascade Conference is the toughest women's volleyball conference in the entire NAIA. As opposed to years past, the upper tier of the Pacific Northwest programs have not had the same level of dominance they've been accustomed to earning, with both Corban and Eastern Oregon falling in matches to teams they've normally been able to handle on a consistent basis. Moving down the CCC standings, the Beacons held just a single game advantage over both the fourth and fifth overall seeds, with one game separating the fifth and sixth, sixth and seventh, and seventh and eighth seeds as well in what was a brutal slate across the conference.
That being said, both the Warriors and Mounties enter the semifinal stage as the heavy favorites to meet in the CCC championship match tomorrow afternoon, as EOU swept their semifinal opponents in RV Walla Walla University during the regular season while despite splitting their conference matches between host sites, Corban historically has had the Beacons' number with a 9-1 record over their past ten matchups dating back to 2021. Bushnell's most recent CCC semifinal appearance came in that same 2021 season, where the Navy and Gold handed them a five-set loss to send them to the offseason. However, this year's matchup is not quite as dramatic for either squad, as both Corban and Bushnell have bth seemingly clinched at-large berths to the NAIA National Tournament with their exceptional play during the regular season at 23-4 and 20-11, respectively.
The Beacons needed a record breaking performance from senior outside hitter Hailey Heider yesterday to survive an upset-minded Eagle squad who pushed them to five sets and held match point at 24-22 in the fourth before Bushnell scored on three-straight rallies to keep their tourney run alive, with Heider responsible for five of her team's final eight points of the fourth set.
Heider represented one of four Beacons to earn All-Conference honors from the CCC and one of two on the First Team listing alongside opposite hitter Leah Agost. The Beacons' one-two offensive punch is complimented well with Second Team outside hitter Amyah Semau and Honorable Mention middle blocker Soleil Sands, who provide both offensive and defensive prowess that the Warriors struggled with containing in their October matchup down the I-5 interstate at the Morse Center.
However, much has changed since Corban fell in five sets to Bushnell on the Beacons' home court, with that representing the most recent loss on the Warriors' schedule amid their active nine-game winning streak. The unforced attacking errors that the Navy and Gold committed in that match have drastically decreased in each passing contest, as their 35 errors against Bushnell represented a season-high and have since averaged kills on 28.6% of all attacks over their nine-match winning streak, eventually leading to their conference-best kills per set average (13.80).
From an individual perspective, the Warriors are led offensively by their three-headed All-Conference attacking front of junior outside hitters Emma Bischoff and Kendra Bittle alongside senior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski. Bischoff and Roginski were each honored with First Team selections by CCC coaches, while Bittle earned her first ever All-Conference selection with Honorable Mention accolades. The trio bring a level of offensive firepower that is difficult for opponents to adapt to, while defensively they all serve in unique roles that result in blocking at the net or digs in the backcourt. Bischoff is currently riding a five-match double-double performance streak with multiple CCC Attacker of the Week accolades, while Roginski finished the regular season as the only student-athlete to appear in both top five of conference attackers in both attacking percentage (.302) and total kills (312).
Senior setter Abby Guindy, who was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2025, commands the 6-2 Corban offensive scheme alongside junior setter Nadeiah Howard and both do so extremely efficiently, with the program's impressive offensive numbers across the season due largely in part to their decision making as the "quarterbacks" of the Warrior women's volleyball team. Both Corban setters can also serve effectively as well with a combined 62 aces over their 27 matches played to date.
With the front of the net handled defensively by senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder (1.06 blocks per set) and sophomore middle blocker Addison Mills (0.98 blocks per set), the backcourt has been on lockdown the entire 2025 campaign thanks to CCC Libero of the Year, junior Kaile'a Ontai. The Warriors' first defensive specialist to win the award since 2016, Ontai has been integral in keeping rallies afloat for the Corban women's volleyball program and continuously forces opponents into finding new service tactics with her .936 reception percentage feared across the conference representing the highest conversion rate among all starting liberos who appeared on a day-in day-out basis.
With a deep bench filled with Warriors all ready to step up for McLain and the Corban women's volleyball program at a moment's notice, the Navy and Gold are hitting their stride at the perfect moment and will need to see that consistency at the net both offensively and defensively while continuing to serve aggressively remain true if their postseason aspirations have any chance of surviving both the CCC and NAIA gauntlets.
In the other conference semifinal matchup, the Walla Walla Wolves have shocked the CCC with back-to-back upsets over higher seeded opponents, taking down No. 24-ranked Southern Oregon University in a five-set thriller on the Raiders' home court during the play-in round before last night's five-set marathon against No. 16-ranked College of Idaho that nearly ended in a reverse sweep for the Yotes. Despite their best season in team history thus far, today's opponent in No. 1-seeded and nationally ranked Eastern Oregon will be probably the toughest challenge to overcome across the entire country, with the Mountaineers also enjoying a day off yesterday alongside the Warriors and will enter today's rematch with the Wolves refreshed and ready to show out on their home court. EOU swept Walla Walla in the regular season, including a three-set sweep this past Sunday on the same court they'll meet tonight to end the 2025 conference campaign.
The entire tournament will be broadcasted live on Urban Edge Network, with the Warriors rematch against Bushnell tonight being available HERE, with live stats being available HERE. Should Corban qualify for the championship match, livestream and live stat links will be made available by the CCC overnight and will eventually be accessible on the 2025 Corban women's volleyball schedule.
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