GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – For the third-consecutive season, the No. 1-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team made the cross-country journey to the NAIA National Championships and played their hearts out on the national stage, with their season ending this year in the national semifinal round. After falling behind 2-0 against No. 2-ranked Ottawa University-Arizona, the Warriors rallied to tie the match before eventually falling 3-2 in the play-to-decision final score.
"This Warrior team put up a good fight today, but in the end, it wasn't enough to make up for early mistakes against a very experienced and disciplined OUAZ team," stated Corban head coach Dan Stephens. "It's been a great season and making the national semifinals on what some would call a 'rebuild year' is a mighty big accomplishment that we can all be proud of. We have things we need to work on in the off-season to be even better next year. We always need skill development, but the biggest growth needs to come in our mental approach to competitions, which we will continue to emphasize in the year to come."
OUAZ (23-9) jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage with sweeps in both the twos and fours, as the Spirit were looking to qualify for the finals for the first time in their three years attending the national tourney. The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) members were also vying for an all-GSAC finals, as both Vanguard University and Arizona Christian University were contending on the other courts in the last remaining semifinal matchup.
The Warriors began to turn the tides in the second flight of pairs, with both the threes and fives making quick work of their Spirit counterparts. Redshirt sophomore Sydney Sanford and freshman Cammie Masanda never took their feet off the gas pedal in 21-18 and 21-11 set scores, while redshirt junior Nicole Bantilan and sophomore Emmi Marks collected 21-18 and 22-20 results to knot the match at two pairs apiece.
The final matchup of the top overall pairings would determine who would move on to the final beach volleyball match of the 2024 season, with OUAZ already holding a 1-0 set advantage after Summer Hanks and Diana Enriquez earned a 21-18 opening period win. After falling behind 20-16, junior Megan Dennis and freshman Emma Bischoff rattled off back-to-back points to stave off elimination and force a Spirit timeout.
However, after pulling back to a 20-19 deficit, Ottawa got the final point they needed on a Corban attacking error to complete the upset win and book the first national championship match appearance in program history.
No. 2 OUAZ 3, No. 1 Corban 2
1. Summer Hanks/Diana Enriquez (OUAZ) def. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) 21-18, 21-19
2. Mattea Wilson/Olivia Andersh (OUAZ) def. Jessica McMillian/Danae Stokes (CRB) 21-18, 28-26
3. Emmi Marks/Nicole Bantilan (CRB) def. Amanda Carlson/Grace Hughes (OUAZ) 21-18, 22-20
4. Shea Marovich/Dayana Raygoza (OUAZ) def. Allyson Reid/Erin Scott (CRB) 21-15, 21-17
5. Cammie Masanda/Sydney Sanford (CRB) def. Cheyenne Higgins/Gabriella Corrales (OUAZ) 21-18, 21-11
Coach Stephens and his staff will return all but one of their ten starters from this year's postseason roster, with Bantilan representing the lone graduate to walk across the stage in next week's commencement ceremony. They finish the 2024 season with a 23-5 overall record, setting a new single season win total by surpassing the 22 wins they earned in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In addition, Dennis was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second-consecutive season and will lead a company of hungry Warriors ready for yet another deep national tournament run.
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