SALEM, Ore. – Nine-consecutive seasons have come and gone for the Corban University Women's Volleyball program, with all nine coming to an end at the NAIA National Tournament Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa. Tomorrow afternoon, the No. 5-ranked Warriors will have the opportunity to push that streak into the double-digits with a home Opening Round matchup scheduled against Fisk University in the first ever meeting between the two NAIA programs. The Warriors and Bulldogs each have massive stakes on the line in tomorrow's postseason contest, with the Navy and Gold looking to push their undefeated streak on Tim Hills Court to a 24th-straight victory, including a 7-0 run in Opening Round matchups, while Fisk is making their first ever NAIA National Tournament appearance via their automatic berth out of the Historical Black College and University Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
"We're excited to compete among the top programs in the nation this weekend on our home court," shared Corban head coach Kim McLain. "From this point forward, we have to stay locked in and compete one point at a time. We can't afford to give anything away, as every team is battling to reach the next phase of the national tournament. We feel ready, confident, and look forward to the journey ahead."
On November 17th, the NAIA national office announced the 48 teams participating in the 2025 NAIA National Championship Tournament, where the No. 5-ranked Warriors (24-5) already knew their name would be called after locking up an automatic bid thanks to their results at the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) the weekend prior. As the second overall team in the Pacific Northwest and fifth across the country, the Navy and Gold are expected to rely on their strong offensive attack and unwavering defensive presence as they have all season long, noted by their five All-Conference student-athletes.
Leading the Warriors' offensively will be senior opposite hitter Makayla Roginski and junior outside hitter Emma Bischoff, each of whom have pummeled over 300 kills on the season and average over three per set, both topping the team and ranked within the top ten individually across the CCC. Junior outside hitter Kendra Bittle (Honorable Mention All-Conference selection), provides a third arm at the net that averages just under three kills per set, yet was a top fifteen individual in the CCC as well in the 2025 regular season.
Defensively, the reigning CCC Libero of the Year, junior Kaile'a Ontai, has the backcourt on lock with over four digs per set and a 93.4% reception percentage, which are both near the top of the conference rankings for defensive specialists. Bischoff and Bittle have the ability to play around all six of McLain's rotations to provide both blocking at the net and digs in the back court, though sophomore Dani Street and freshman Callie Aplin will jump in to handle DS backcourt duties when need be.
The offensive has ran primarily through the 6-2 setter rotation of senior Abby Guindy and junior Nadeiah Howard through this point of the fall season, with the duo quarterbacking one of the NAIA's most efficient yet lethal offensive schemes with a 13.74 kills per set average and over 23% of all attacks landing for kills. They average a combined 12.96 assists per set and have the team scoring nearly 18 points per set through solely offensive scoring.
Though the rotation has seen some recent changes as McLain and her staff navigate lingering injuries, senior middle blocker Gracie Boeder has remained a resilient force defensively at the net, averaging 1.11 blocks per set which is seventh best in the CCC. Roginski, Bischoff, Bittle, and redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Taylor Kieser all make up a rotation of blocking alongside either sophomore middle blocker Addison Mills or redshirt freshman middle blocker Jenna Konzelman depending on the rotation in play for the Warriors.
Fisk (29-7) arrives in Salem on the cusp of their most successful season in program history after earning an automatic bid through their own conference tournament despite a hard-fought five-set loss to the HBCUAC regular season champions from Dillard University in the championship match. The Bulldogs average over 12 kills per set offensively, while averaging over two blocks per set and 14 digs per set defensively, which are all just slightly below Corban's average statistics for the 2025 season to date. However, their 2.37 service aces per set average tops the Warriors, while also maintaining a 91.4% success rate in returning serves over the net.
Outside hitter Shelby Chamblin leads the Fisk attacking front with just under three kills per set, tallying 333 on the year with a .233 kill percentage. Chamblin claimed 12 separate HBCUAC Player of the Week honors across the 2025 season and has tallied at least ten kills in each of her last four contests, including a season-best 18 in their championship matchup against Dillard.
Fellow outside hitter Reagan Jones is right behind Chamblin for top attacking honors in the Fisk lineup, with middle blocker Laila Esters and middle hitter La'Niyah Lumpkin both providing over 1.5 kills per set as well. Middle blocker Delaney Farver averages nearly a block per set as the team's primary threat at the net defensively, with Lumpkin tallying just three less blocks than Farver to date. Ontai's Bulldog counterpart, libero Nialah Gupton also averages over four digs per set as one of the most consistent defensive specialists in the HBCUAC, who also leads the team in service aces at 53 overall and 0.43 per set.
Reserved seating and general admission ticketing is available online at the Corban University Box Office and at the gate tomorrow afternoon, with doors opening at 3pm. Those unable to attend the NAIA Opening Round on Tim Hills Court can watch for free on Urban Edge Network (UEN) by clicking HERE. Live stats are also available for free by clicking HERE.
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