SALEM, Ore. – The No. 2-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team is preparing to host the inaugural 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Beach Volleyball Tournament as the top overall seed that will take place from April 10th to 11th at the Corban Beach Volleyball Courts. The Navy and Gold will be joined by No. 7-ranked Southern Oregon University, No. 9-ranked The College of Idaho, and Northwest University in the hunt to secure the CCC's automatic qualifying bid to the NAIA National Invitational Tournament in Greeneville, Tennessee.
To see the complete bracket for the 2025 CCC Beach Volleyball Tournament, click HERE.
"We're truly honored to be hosting the first annual CCC Championship Tournament," Warriors' head coach Dan Stephens stated when asked to preview his team's upcoming conference tournament. "It has been a long yet exciting season thus far and we're excited to play for a bid into the National Tournament on our own home sand."
The Warriors (17-1, 15-0) finished the regular season with an undeniable dominant performance against their CCC opponents, posting a perfect 15-0 record against the ever-evolving competitive group. Corban's lone match loss of the season came from NCAA Division I University of Oregon, in the preseason Corban Invitational in February, where the team collected two wins against the NCAA DI schools Sacramento State University and the University of Portland.
At the top of the Navy and Gold lineup once again is the reigning CCC Pair of the Year senior Megan Dennis and sophomore Emma Bischoff. The duo has successfully logged a 14-4 record against the most elite pairs from every program the team has faced. With many accolades sure to come for this partnership, Dennis and Bischoff's forceful control will aid the Warriors in their quest for the automatic qualifying bid to nationals.
In the second overall duo, sophomore Danae Stokes has matched Dennis and Bischoff's 14-4 record with majority of the season partnered with sophomore Cammie Masanda. At the end of conference play, redshirt freshman Kaile'a Ontai stepped in for Masanda during a minor injury and maintained the lethal power of the pair. Stokes' seasoned leadership has fostered a competitive twos partnership that will prosper in the upcoming tournament whether alongside Masanda or Ontai.
Senior Jessica McMillian and junior Emmi Marks are the Warrior's number three pair who have collected a 16-2 record and two CCC Pair of the Week honors. Their only loss to a CCC opponent came in the form of a three-set thriller against SOU's third pairing in the final regular season matchup between the Warriors and Raiders. McMillian and Marks' steadfast partnership will continue to assist in the conference tournament.
Newcomers junior Alexis Adebodun and freshman Gabi Engels have been everything the team hoped they would be as the fourth overall pairing. As the catalyst for the Navy and Gold's early dual leads, the duo has earned not only CCC Pair of the Week but also NAIA Pair of the Week honors. Entering postseason 16-2, Adebodun and Engels will thrive in the pursuit for an automatic bid to nationals
Rounding out the starting fifth pair for Corban are redshirt sophomore Erin Scott and freshman Rebecca Wilber. After debuting early in the season with different partners, the duo will combine forces in postseason play to represent a new threat to opposing teams as they look to counter the depth of Corban's roster.
The upcoming CCC conference tournament promises two action-packed days of competition, set to kick off on April 10th. In this double-elimination format, teams need to lose twice before being knocked out and matches will be played to decision through the tournament.
Game #1 will start Thursday morning at 10am when the Raiders (14-7, 12-3) and the Yotes (9-6, 9-6) contest for a spot in the semifinals.
The first opponent the Warriors will face will be the No. 4-seed of Northwest University (6-9, 6-9) in Game #2 of the tournament. Out of the three regular season matchups, Corban has swept the Eagles on two different occasions and won 4-1 amidst the harsh Seattle rain in their most recent appearance in March.
At 2pm Thursday, the stakes rise with Game #3, an elimination match between the losers of Games #1 and #2. Only one of these teams will remain in the hunt for the championship. The action continues at 4pm in Game #4, where the winners of Games #1 and #2 square off in what is sure to be a heated semifinal matchup.
Moving into Friday, Game #5 will consist of the winner of Game #3 and the loser of Game #4 at 10am. At noon, the Championship Game (Game #6) will take place, pitting the winners of Games #4 and #5 against each other in a final showdown. If necessary, the championship will continue into Game #7, a tiebreaker match, to be played one hour after the conclusion of Game #6. The tournament winner will earn the CCC's automatic qualifying bid to the NAIA National Invitational Tournament in Greeneville, Tenn.
Stay tuned for future updates on the Warriors' next opponent once tournament play has begun on April 10th.
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