The 2025 Corban women's volleyball squad celebrates with student section after knocking off previously undefeated and No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon.

Women's Volleyball 8/5/2026 5:00:00 PM Clayton Messerle, Assistant Athletic Director

Women’s Volleyball Season Preview – Warriors Reload, Ready Aim for 2026 Championship Runs

SALEM, Ore. – Following a 27-6 overall record, a 17-3 Cascade Collegiate Conference mark, a tenth-straight trip to the NAIA National Championship final site, and one of the program's deepest postseason runs in recent memory, the Corban University Women's Volleyball team enters the 2026 season with high expectations once again as head coach Kim McLain and her staff blend a battle-tested core of returners with one of the largest and most talented recruiting classes in program history.

"Every season brings a new set of challenges, and this group is excited to embrace them," shared McLain. "We graduated some incredible leaders who played a major role in our success, but we're also returning a strong core of experienced players and welcoming a talented group of newcomers. Our team has shown a tremendous commitment throughout the offseason, and we're looking forward to seeing how that work translates onto the court. We're eager to see this team develop and pursue the high standards that have become the expectation within our program."

The Warriors were among the NAIA's most complete teams a season ago, averaging 13.7 kills per set while holding opponents to a .131 attacking percentage, finishing the year with victories in 27 of 33 matches and advancing to the national quarterfinals before ending the season one win shy of the national "Fab Four" round.

Season Schedule/Key Matchups

Corban will get an early opportunity to test itself before official competition begins with scrimmages against Linn-Benton Community College and NCAA DI Portland State University, along with an exhibition matchup versus NCAA Division II Western Oregon in mid-August.

The regular season officially opens at the Siouxland Volleyball Invitational in Iowa, where the Warriors will take on Morningside, Dakota Wesleyan, McPherson, Concordia (Neb.), and Viterbo between August 20-22. The tournament provides an immediate measuring stick against several programs that consistently compete for conference championships and national tournament berths.

Corban then returns home for their second annual Hampton Inn Classic, highlighted by contests against Pacific Union, Simpson, Columbia International, and Taylor. This marks the second-consecutive season with the Navy and Gold hosting multiple NAIA programs from outside their region for a non-conference tourney, as they'll look to push their home winning-streak into 2026 after finishing 2025 at 14-0 on Tim Hills Court.

As always, the road to the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship will prove challenging. The Warriors will once again battle national contenders such as Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho, Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech, Bushnell, and Lewis-Clark State throughout the fall. After splitting regular-season meetings with both Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho in 2025, those contests are expected to play a major role in determining the CCC title race in 2026.

Conference Outlook

The CCC once again figures to be one of the NAIA's strongest conferences. Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho, Bushnell, LC State, and Southern Oregon, all demonstrated their ability to challenge top teams throughout 2025, while Corban enters the campaign looking to build on last year's second-place conference finish and national tournament success.

With an experienced core, multiple returning offensive leaders, and an influx of talented newcomers, the Warriors possess the depth necessary to contend for both a conference championship and another deep run on the national stage. They'll have to upend the reigning CCC regular season and tourney champion Mounties in order to do so, and yet handing EOU their first loss of last season will provide them with the motivation needed to do so once again this upcoming campaign.

Key Losses/Returners

The largest void comes from the right side of the net, where opposite hitter Makayla Roginski graduates after a dominant senior season that saw her post 371 kills, a .295 attacking percentage, and 96 total blocks. Roginski was Corban's most efficient high-volume attacker and one of the premier players across the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

At setter, the Warriors must replace Abby Guindy, who directed the offense with 736 assists and helped spearhead a squad that averaged 13.7 kills per set and hit .230 as a team. Her leadership and consistency played a major role in Corban's offensive success throughout the season and her four-year career, as she's served as the team's starting setter since her sophomore season.

The back row will also look considerably different without libero Kaile'a Ontai, who anchored the defense with a team-leading 470 digs while serving as one of the program's most reliable passers and defenders. Ontai departs as the reigning CCC Libero of the Year, providing McLain and her staff with large shoes to fill in the backcourt.

Corban additionally loses a tremendous amount of net presence with the departures of Gracie Boeder and Addison Mills. Boeder recorded 199 kills and a team-high 128 total blocks, while Mills added 127 kills and 106 blocks. Together, the duo helped establish one of the conference's most physical front lines that accounted for 477 kills and 282 total blocks.

While the Warriors graduated several cornerstone contributors from their 2025 national tournament squad, Corban still returns a talented group capable of building upon last year's success. The offense will once again run through senior outside hitter Emma Bischoff, who leads the returning core with 364 kills, 57 service aces, 291 digs, and 447.5 total points last season. As one of the conference's most notable six-rotation players, Bischoff enters the year as the unquestioned leader of the Warrior attack.

Senior outside hitter Kendra Bittle provides another proven weapon after totaling 311 kills and 33 aces in 2025. Together, Bischoff and Bittle give Corban one of the most experienced outside-hitting tandems in the NAIA. Alongside fellow senior and the lone returning setter from last year's rotation, Nadeiah Howard, the three-woman senior class will undoubtedly step up to lead the notably young Corban roster.

Defensively, the Warriors will look to veterans such as Madison Hernandez, Dani Street, and a collection of returning role players to help replace the production lost from an experienced back row.

Perhaps the biggest challenge entering the fall will be replacing the production lost at setter, middle blocker, and libero, positions that were occupied by some of the most impactful players on the 2025 roster. As a result, Corban's returning leadership and roster versatility will be critical during the early portion of the season as they look to establish their new identity.

Newcomers to Watch

Fortunately for the Navy and Gold, McLain and her staff assembled one of the deepest recruiting classes in recent program history, bringing in eight newcomers who are all capable of making an immediate impact.

The most immediate need may come at setter, where sophomore transfer Kawena Crowell arrives after recording 427 assists at New Mexico Junior College. Crowell is expected to compete for a major role in orchestrating the Warrior offense following the graduation of Guindy and command the offense alongside Howard and redshirt freshman Braeleigh MacAskill.

Transfer opposite hitter Lauryn Copeland and freshman Avery Nelson further bolster the attack and will each have opportunities to earn significant playing time early in the season.

Offensively, freshmen Racquel Gauna, Ellie Bartel, and Greta Van Gemert add depth to an already talented outside hitter group. Gauna arrives as one of Idaho's most decorated prep players after totaling 756 career kills, while Bartel and Van Gemert each earned multiple all-league and all-state honors during their high school careers.

Transfer middle blocker Gracee Robertson and freshman Eliana Klos could provide immediate help in replacing the production and blocking presence lost with the departures of Roginski, Boeder, and Mills. Robertson arrives with collegiate experience from the College of Southern Idaho, while Klos earned First-Team All-League honors during her prep career at Caldera High School.

Warrior Whims (Final Thoughts)

Unlike a year ago, the storyline surrounding the 2026 Warriors is not simply about building upon previous success. It is about reloading after the graduation of much of the program's core that helped guide Corban to a 27-win season in 2026 alongside multiple national tournament runs.

The Warriors return two proven stars in Bischoff and Bittle, but they must replace their starting setter, libero, two starting middles, and several other key front-row contributors from a team that ranked among the NAIA leaders in both offense and defense a season ago.

Still, Corban's formula has remained consistent under McLain: develop talent, recruit impact student-athletes, and trust the next group of Warriors to rise to the challenge. The 2026 recruiting class was assembled specifically to help bridge those gaps, and several newcomers are expected to play prominent roles from day one.

The ceiling for this year's team will likely be determined by how quickly the new pieces come together. If McLain's crew can successfully replace its departed production while continuing to receive all-conference caliber play from Bischoff and Bittle, the Warriors have the talent to remain among the CCC's elite and make another push toward a CCC regular season crown and the NAIA national championship title.