ASHLAND, Ore. – A rollercoaster of a tournament opener for the No. 2-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team saw their undefeated Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) run come to an end against No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon University, as the Raiders rallied from a 1-0 deficit by taking the next four pairs, three of which went a full three sets to tie the season series at one dual apiece between the Warriors and Raiders. The Navy and Gold returned to their winning ways via a swift 5-0 sweep of Simpson University to complete the season sweep of the Red Hawks and set up a potential "winner-take-all" scenario tomorrow against Southern Oregon.
"It was a good performance by SOU today, and they showed us great defense and effort," explained Corban head coach Dan Stephens shortly after his program's first conference loss in nearly two years. "We have to be able to implement what we practice in matches if we want to consistently beat tough teams like Southern Oregon. Regarding our second match, Simpson continues to get better and we will expect to see them getting stronger as they build up their program."
The long-awaited rematch between the Warriors (19-4, 12-1) and Raiders (11-2, 9-1) resulted in a wild second effort by SOU, as they took advantage of playing on their home courts by gutting out not one, but a trio of three-set pairings to snag their first win over Corban since the 2024 spring season. Redshirt junior Erin Scott and freshman Emily Blagg were the lone Warrior duo to emerge victorious in a counting pair against the Raiders, as they secured their own three-set reverse sweep 13-21, 21-13, and 15-6 against SOU's Amanda Moffat and Kaitlyn Shilling. Southern Oregon claimed two of their three pairings that went the three-set distance in reverse sweep fashion.
In the second dual of today's doubleheader, the Dubs returned to their dominant run through the CCC to date with a 5-0 sweep of a Red Hawk (0-15, 0-10) program that is still in search of their first win this season. All five Corban pairings, including their sixth exhibition pair, completed straight-set sweeps of their Simpson counterparts.
Dual 1 | #4 Southern Oregon 4, #2 Corban 1
1. Tessa Zimmermann/Grace Gulbrandsen (SOU) def. Emma Bischoff/Emmi Marks (CRB) 21-23, 22-20, 15-13
2. Molly Grace/Kira Sandoval (SOU) def. Gabi Engels/Allyson Reid (CRB) 21-19, 17-21, 15-12
3. Andressa Ribeiro Soares/Maelle Garon (SOU) def. Cammie Masanda/Alexis Adebodun (CRB) 17-21, 21-17, 17-15
4. Erin Scott/Emily Blagg (CRB) def. Amanda Moffat/Kaitlyn Shilling (SOU) 13-21, 21-13, 15-6
5. Natalie Perez/Kendal Hadwick (SOU) def. Jordan Faircloth/Rebecca Wilber (CRB) 21-16, 21-16
Ex. Payton Bazant/Stacie Alexander (CRB) def. Jenna Whitmore/Kiahla Granger (SOU) 21-12, 23-21
Dual 2 | #2 Corban 5, Simpson 0
1. Emma Bischoff/Emmi Marks (CRB) def. Kimora McKechnie/Brooklyn Jimenez (SU) 21-12, 21-10
2. Gabi Engels/Allyson Reid (CRB) def. Tiara Manns/Emily Melo (SU) 21-9, 21-10
3. Cammie Masanda/Alexis Adebodun (CRB) def. Elizabeth Heath/Brooke Sarahina (SU) 21-2, 21-6
4. Erin Scott/Emily Blagg (CRB) def. Kare Ann Oshiro/Mackenize Tataryn (SU) 21-16, 21-8
5. Payton Bazant/Stacie Alexander (CRB) def. Sylus Moore/Alexis Andaya (SU) 21-10, 21-13
Ex. Jordan Faircloth/Rebecca Wilber (CRB) def. Caityln Miller/Kiersti Howell (SU) 21-11, 21-13
Tomorrow afternoon, the Warriors and Raiders will clash one final time this regular season with a potential CCC championship on the line, as the winner of their 12pm rubber match will clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker and barring any future upsets, will clinch the conference title and host the 2026 CCC Tournament on their home courts.
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