ASHLAND, Ore. – The No. 3-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team had the No. 2-ranked and top seeded/tourney hosts Southern Oregon University on their heels not once, but twice on the final day of the 2026 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, rallying from 0-2 match deficits in both of their matchups before eventually falling 3-2 in back-to-back match results. After falling in the opener this morning, the Warriors rallied once again to sweep their I-5 rivals from Bushnell University in order to set up their championship rematch with the Raiders.

"We had to fight for every point today against SOU and Bushnell, and we came up short against a very strong and fundamental SOU team," Corban head coach Dan Stephens explained. "Bushnell needed the year playing really good ball, and it made for exciting matches to be a part of. We are continuing to develop and tough matches likes these have been good for us, and we'll see if we've done enough to continue playing this postseason on Monday."

The Navy and Gold (22-7) completed exceptional come-from-behind efforts to force Southern Oregon (19-2) into uncomfortable scenarios on the Raiders' home sand during the 2026 CCC tourney, as SOU claimed the first two pairs in both the 9am and 1pm duals before Corban rallied in the 1s and 5s to force 2-2 draws and relying on the third-overall pairings to decide their match result. Southern Oregon was able to claim both to earn their first ever conference tournament title and improve to 5-14 all-time against the Warriors.

Between duals against the Raiders, the Dubs made quick work of the Beacons (8-10) thanks to unparalleled comeback wins by the 2s and 4s, who overcame 13-10 and 14-11 third set deficits, respectively, to flip an 0-2 match deficit into a 2-0 match lead. Senior Gabi Engels and redshirt sophomore Allyson Reid completed 10-21, 21-16, and 15-13 set wins over Bushnell's Olivia Kelzenberg and Jazmyn Wilcox before redshirt junior Erin Scott and freshman Emily Blagg completed a 13-21, 21-18, and 17-15 comeback win of their own over Sydney Myhre and Laci Jespersen. Junior Jordan Faircloth and sophomore Rebecca Wilber claimed a straight-set sweep in the 5s 21-13 and 21-18 to clinch the match result, while the 1s and 3s were both leading in their respective matchups.

Senior Emmi Marks and junior Emma Bischoff continued their dominant run through the CCC this season to represent one of two Corban duos to go undefeated this weekend in Ashland, joining Faircloth and Wilber at 4-0 across their four duals played. Marks and Bischoff certainly made their final case for the CCC Pair of the Year award that is set to be announced on Sunday, April 12th, as they improved to 27-2 on the season and represent the only pairing across the Pacific Northwest to eclipse the 25-win mark. In head-to-head matchups with SOU's top pairing of Tessa Zimmermann and Grace Gulbrandsen, they improved to 4-1 this season.

Winner's Bracket Final | #2 Southern Oregon 3, #3 Corban 2

1. Emma Bischoff/Emmi Marks (CRB) def. Tessa Zimmermann/Grace Gulbrandsen (SOU) 19-21, 21-12, 15-12

2. Kira Sandoval/Molly Grace (SOU) def. Gabi Engels/Allyson Reid (CRB) 24-22, 21-17

3. Andressa Ribeiro Soares/Maelle Garon (SOU) def. Cammie Masanda/Alexis Adebodun (CRB) 21-15, 20-22, 15-12

4. Amanda Moffat/Kaitlyn Shilling (SOU) def. Erin Scott/Emily Blagg (CRB) 21-19, 14-21, 15-11

5. Rebecca Wilber/Jordan Faircloth (CRB) def. Natalie Perez/Kendal Hadwick (SOU) 16-21, 21-10, 15-8

Elimination Dual | #3 Corban 3, Bushnell 0

1. Emma Bischoff/Emmi Marks (CRB) led Kate Palelek/Hailey Hughes (BU) 16-9

2. Gabi Engels/Allyson Reid (CRB) def. Olivia Kelzenberg/Jazmyn Wilcox (BU) 10-21, 21-16, 15-13

3. Cammie Masanda/Alexis Adebodun (CRB) led Carly Hanna/Monet Panther (BU) 21-7

4. Erin Scott/Emily Blagg (CRB) def. Sydney Myhre/Laci Jespersen (BU) 13-21, 21-18, 17-15

5. Rebecca Wilber/Jordan Faircloth (CRB) def. Haley Engelbrecht/Isabella Jacobson (BU) 21-13, 21-18

Championship | #2 Southern Oregon 3, #3 Corban 2

1. Emma Bischoff/Emmi Marks (CRB) def. Tessa Zimmermann/Grace Gulbrandsen (SOU) 21-18, 17-21, 15-11

2. Kira Sandoval/Molly Grace (SOU) def. Gabi Engels/Allyson Reid (CRB) 21-18, 20-22, 15-13

3. Andressa Ribeiro Soares/Maelle Garon (SOU) def. Cammie Masanda/Alexis Adebodun (CRB) 21-13, 22-20

4. Amanda Moffat/Kaitlyn Shilling (SOU) def. Erin Scott/Emily Blagg (CRB) 17-21, 21-16, 15-12

5. Rebecca Wilber/Jordan Faircloth (CRB) def. Natalie Perez/Kendal Hadwick (SOU) 21-15, 11-21, 15-12

The qualifiers for the 2026 NAIA National Invitational are scheduled to be announced by the national office on Monday, April 13th, with Corban beach volleyball more than likely to receive one of the four at-large bids to attend the Mesa, Arizona-based tourney. Prior to the national tournament, the Warriors will play in a non-conference doubleheader refresher against NCAA DI University of Portland on the Pilots' home sand in PDX next Wednesday, April 15th at 11am and 2pm.

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