WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 20-ranked and No. 3-seeded Corban University Women's Basketball team is just two wins away from replicating a feat that has only been done six times prior in program history and for the first time since 2019, as a spot in the NAIA National Tournament Final Site is on the line this weekend inside the Garvey Center on the campus of Friends University in southern Kansas.
"I would say that the team is really excited to be able to compete at the national level this year," expressed head coach Kylie Frizell. "We are in a group of really competitive teams with different style of plays than we normally see. I think that our tough conference has prepared us for this next step, so we are really excited for this opportunity. TAMUSA is a tough opponent that plays up tempo and presses pretty much the majority of the time. Our biggest keys heading into this matchup is taking care of the ball, shot selection, and keeping them off the free throw line with our disciplined defense."
After completing an incredible regular season run through the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) that led to the Warriors' first league title in 15 years, the Warriors (26-5) put all doubt to rest with an emphatic three-game sweep through the 2026 CCC Tournament where they downed No. 17-ranked Lewis-Clark State College by a nearly 20-point margin in the championship matchup. Thanks to their seven-game winning streak, the Navy and Gold enter the 2026 NAIA National Tournament as one of the top 12 national seeds, entering the Cramer quadrant of the bracket as the No. 3-team out of 16 possible seedings.
This marks the first NAIA tournament postseason appearance for the Dubs since their spring of 2019 run that ended in the round of 16 at the national final site after securing a first round upset of No. 3-seeded Tabor College. This is the program's first Opening Round bid in school history, as the new tournament format was implemented shortly after their most recent final site appearance.
Because of their recent accomplishments, Corban women's basketball earns a first round matchup with No. 14-seeded Texas A&M University-San Antonio out of the Red River Athletic Conference, representing the first meeting between the two schools in program history. The Jaguars earned an automatic berth after claiming the Red River conference tournament runner-up finish to the eventual conference champions from LSU-Shreveport, securing themselves a spot in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history.
Texas A&M-San Antonio will be entering their first ever national tournament on a one-game losing skid after dropping their conference tournament title matchup yet ended the regular season on a five-game winning streak to enter the postseason riding high. The Jaguars average nearly 74 points per contest while allowing 65 points to opposing teams. However, TAMUSA will face their most efficient opponent of the season in scoring, as the Navy and Gold led the Pacific Northwest with over 80 points per game while allowing under 64 points per game to their opponents.
The Jaguars are 23-8 overall and went 18-4 in the Red River Athletic Conference, with guard Evelyn Lorenzo leading Texas A&M-San Antonio in both scoring (13.0 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg). Forward Kierra Sanderlin represents the Jags' best offensive post presence as she is second in scoring (11.4 ppg) on the team, while forward Talaiyah Andrews leads the team in rebounding with 5.3 boards per game.
Looking briefly at the opposite side of the Wichita Opening Round bracket, the host Falcons (24-6) finished right behind the Warriors in the final national poll at No. 21-overall, yet a semifinal exit on their own home court during the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Tournament dipped Friends down to the No. 6-seed in the Cramar quadrant. Despite the early tournament exit for the KCAC regular season runners-up, the Falcons run an efficient offensive playstyle that runs through one-two punch of guard Lauryn McIver and forward Abigail Barr, as the duo leads the team in scoring at 15.6 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Friends' overall scoring margin is much closer than the remaining three programs in Wichita this weekend, as they allow over 67 points per game on average and scored less than 70 points overall in each of their previous five losses.
The Falcons' first round opponent is a familiar one for cross-conference NAIA matchup enjoyers in the Midwest, as the No. 11-seeded Hastings College Broncos visited the Garvey Center back on November 5th and narrowly fell in a wild double overtime 104-102 final score. Hastings had six individuals in double-digit scoring during that non-conference loss, five of which averaged over 10 points and under 14 points per game for the entire season to represent the offensive depth the Broncos hold where any one of their starting lineup can take control of a contest at a single moment. Guard Bailey Kissinger closely holds the team lead in scoring with a 13.3 ppg average, while guard Tathis Arredondo secures over eight rebounds per game in the key. While they do average an intense 88.6 points per game as a team, they also allow the most points per game on defense among the four programs in southeastern Kansas this weekend, with opposing offenses scoring on nearly 42% of all field goals and 31% from beyond the three-point arc.
Tickets for this weekend's opening round site at Friends University can be purchased ahead of time by clicking HERE, while those wishing to watch the Warriors' opening round matchup for free can do so by clicking HERE. Live stats will also be made available for Corban's opening round contest for free by clicking HERE.
The winner of this weekend's opening round four-team tourney will earn one of 16 spots available at the NAIA National Tournament Final Site, which is scheduled to begin on March 19th in Sioux City, Iowa at the Tyson Events Center. Every contest of the 2026 NAIA National Tournament can be viewed live for free on the Urban Edge Network.
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