SALEM, Ore. – Representing just one of three teams across the NAIA to appear in every national poll since the inaugural invitational season in the spring of 2022, the No. 2-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball program is once again set up for a deep postseason run behind the recruiting and coaching of third-year head coach Dan Stephens and his staff, looking to qualify for the national championship tournament for a fifth-straight season with a reloaded roster comprised of some key beachy transfers, indoor crossover student-athletes, and hopeful true freshman to replace a stacked 2025 lineup.
"I'm excited for this season and the potential this team has," explained Stephens when asked about his upcoming spring competitive slate. "We have a very powerful lineup with lots of depth and now it's time to see how we put those things into real competition. The weather has been good for practicing and that hasn't always been the case when we've started up these past seasons. There will be some tough competition right away for us, and it will allow us to know what adjustments we need to make and refine in our practices to strengthen any weaknesses that are exposed. Once again, the CCC will be strong and whichever teams come out on top will be well prepared for the national stage in April."
Season Schedule/Key Matchups
The Navy and Gold won't have very long to adapt and make changes in preparation this year, but instead on the go as they're scheduled to open their season this weekend in southern California with three matchups against teams ranked within the NAIA Coaches' Top 10 Poll. They'll start their season against No. 4-ranked The Master's University before battling an NCAA DII program they've never met head-to-head before in California State University, Los Angeles. On day two of The Master's tourney, they'll meet with No. 9-ranked Hope International University for the first time in both team's seven years of existence, followed by a rematch with the Mustangs to close out their time in Santa Clarita.
The only two regular season tournaments of the 2026 campaign will take place on back-to-back weekends for the Dubs, beginning on February 20th when they're set to host a loaded Corban Invitational that welcomes a pair of NCAA DI programs, an NCAA DII school, along with a pair of neutral site matchups for fellow Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) member, No. 3-ranked Southern Oregon University. In addition to the Warriors and Raiders, also partaking in this year's invitational includes the University of Portland, Sacramento State University, and Chaminade University.
To close out the month of February, Corban beach volleyball will begin their annual CCC home tourney where they will host No. 8-ranked The College of Idaho, Bushnell University, and Northwest University in a two-day tournament. The Warriors will face off with the Eagles and nationally ranked Yotes on the 27th and 28th, respectively, while hosting four separate neutral site duals.
On the following Tuesday, the Navy and Gold will host their earliest Senior Day matches in program history just three days into March, as the Beacons will make the quick trip back up the I-5 interstate for a pair of travel partner duals at 2/4pm. This will represent the final home matches of the regular season for Corban beach volleyball before embarking on a 14-match road trip for the remainder of March.
Whomever emerges as the regular season champion among the six-team CCC will host the conference tournament on April 9th and 10th on their home courts, with the tourney winner earning the CCC's lone automatic bid into the 2026 NAIA National Championship Invitational on April 23rd through 25th at their new host site in Mesa, Arizona. A single non-conference dual considered to be a last second "tune-up" for the national championships will take place on April 14th for the Dubs in Portland against the Pilots.
Conference Outlook
For the first time in CCC history, the Warriors were joined by a fellow conference member on the national stage, with the Raiders from Southern Oregon making the journey to Greenville, Tennessee for the 2025 national invitational as the last remaining at-large team to make the field. Despite their ranking, SOU climbed all the way into the national semifinal round for their best finish in program history before Corban pulled off a reverse sweep of the Raiders to send them into the offseason for a second-straight season.
Southern Oregon and The College of Idaho will undoubtedly be the top teams gunning for the regular season championship and automatic bid to the national invitational, looking to knock the Navy and Gold from their podium as the two-time CCC regular season and tournament champions in back-to-back seasons. The Raiders, identically to the Warriors, return at least one student-athlete from each of their top five pairings that includes both from their No. 4-overall pair while welcoming pair of key transfer newcomers. On the other hand, the Yotes suffered losses to both of their starting top pair and half of their No. 2-pair twosome, while returning their fourth pairing and recruiting in a handful of new transfers from various parts of the west coast.
If the CCC shakes out just as it did in 2025, there will be a noticeable gap between the top three and bottom three teams in the Pacific Northwest, as the Warriors, Raiders, and Yotes all made momentum towards claiming a national championship, while the Eagles, Beacons, and Simpson University Red Hawks' only wins came against each other in conference action. Corban completed a perfect 15-0 record against their conference opponents, winning by multiple pairs in all but two of their fifteen-straight victories.
Key Returners/Newcomers
Out of the ten student-athletes who regularly saw court time in 2025, seven have returned to the 2026 roster and are expected to lead a three-peat campaign within the CCC, in addition to a handful of newcomers that include both experienced transfer beach players and indoor additions playing in their freshman year of eligibility in the sand. While the deficit seems minor on paper, Stephens and his staff are attempting to replace three of the most influential student-athletes in program history, as NAIA two-time Pair of the Year recipient Megan Dennis, reigning CCC Pair of the Year honoree Jessica McMillian, and multi-CCC All-Conference athlete Danae Stokes all departed with their degrees at the conclusion of the 2025 season and leave the largest shortfall in terms of experience and leadership that the Warriors have ever had on a year-to-year transitional basis.
With Dennis no longer representing half of the Dubs' No. 1-overall pairing for the first time in three years, junior Emma Bischoff will now take over as the program's top leader in terms of both experience and gameplay, with Stephens' main priority finding both Bischoff and his returners in the top three pairs new cohesive partners despite the quick turnaround from non-conference to CCC action. Senior Emmi Marks is expected to serve in a significant role once again as McMillian's CCC Pair of the Year partner in 2025, as she led the team in both wins (24) and winning percentage (.889) during her breakout campaign. Both Bischoff and Marks also represent the only First Team All-American returners from the 2025 roster with both Dennis and McMillian having graduated last spring.
Junior Cammie Masanda is the lone returner from the No. 2-overall pairing with Stokes departing in the spring commencement ceremony yet will have support in the form of sophomore Gabi Engels and senior Alexis Adebodun who played the entirety of the 2025 season together in the No. 4 pairing who undoubtedly finished runner-up to McMillian and Marks in terms of CCC Pair of the Year contention following a 23-5 overall record. Engels was named the CCC Freshman of the Year and eventually clinched both NAIA All-Tournament Team and AVCA Top Flight honors in her first season of collegiate beach volleyball after crossing over from indoor women's volleyball.
Join the NAIA fold this spring are a pair of transfers who range from both beach and indoor volleyball experience in the form of junior Stacie Alexander and freshman Emily Blagg. Alexander, younger sister of Katie Alexander who was in the top pairing of national championship contending University of Saint Katherine years ago, brings the most beach experience of any newcomer after playing two seasons of both indoor and beach for the College of the Desert, member of the California Community College Athletics Association (3C2A). Meanwhile, Blagg will attempt to recreate Engels' success from last year in her first year of collegiate beach volleyball after finding success at the indoor level with NCAA DIII George Fox University as the NWC Rookie of the Year in 2023, ranking top three on the program in kills, blocks, and kill percentage.
Warrior Whims (Final Thoughts)
With arguably the most challenging gaps to fill in a lineup in program history taking place this upcoming weekend in southern California for Stephens and his staff, the question is not "how", but "who" for a squad that has historically had a "next woman up" mentality year-to-year. When one Corban great moves on, another fills her place thanks to the incredible recruiting and coaching prowess that Stephens has brought to the program from year one. The coachability, humility, and eagerness that each unique Warrior lineup brings to Corban's campus represent the formula that this program has strived to achieve with each passing season of success.
While an 83-20 overall record, four-straight top four national finishes, a pair of runner-up titles, and an inaugural national championship title may leave the mark of a dynasty program, Stephens, his staff, and their student-athletes are consistently committed to raising the bar to the next level for the NAIA standard. An ever-growing beach volleyball landscape will provide new opportunities and challenges, and the Dubs have no part in sitting back and allowing another program to claim the top spot in the NAIA without a battle.
Four seasons of national championship-caliber play have come and gone for the Navy and Gold beach volleyball program, and one storyline remains unwavering across every school year: the path to the national championships in the Pacific Northwest runs through Corban University, and the Warriors aren't looking to let that change any time soon.
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