GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – After suffering a defeat in their final pool play game of the 2024 NAIA National Tournament, the No. 1-ranked Corban University Beach Volleyball team rebounded confidently in their quarterfinal matchup to start bracket play this afternoon, as they defeated Park University (Mo.) 3-1 to advance to the semifinal stage tomorrow morning.
"Today was a true test of this team's fortitude," began Warriors' head coach Dan Stephens. "We came out flat against ACU and couldn't find our rhythm, which resulted in a deflating loss. As a coaching staff, we challenged the team to reflect on what got them to this opportunity to compete in the national tournament, and to trust the training they have gone through."
Coach Stephens carried on with his national tourney by sharing, "These Warriors showed up for their match with Park, and I could see a change in focus from the earlier match. This team is still developing and they are realizing that they have a huge amount of untapped potential left in them. I love to see the continued growth as individuals and as a team. Tomorrow will be a battle of the best programs in the nation, and it will take great focus and aggressive play to come out on top. It will be an exciting day of great beach volleyball."
The Warriors (23-4) received the gut punch they needed to motivate them even more heading into bracket play this morning, as No. 4-ranked Arizona Christian University was consistent from the very start, taking both the twos and fours in sweeping fashion. While Corban's top pairing of junior Megan Dennis and freshman Emma Bischoff were able to make quick work of their Firestorm (18-13) counterparts, ACU was able to clinch the match after a wild third set in the threes, followed by another three-setter win in the fives to emerge with a 4-1 result.
Having now tasted defeat for the first time in this entire postseason thus far, the Navy and Gold knew how they could reverse their course and avoid a first round upset, as the Pirates entered their quarterfinal matchup needing to prove their worth as well after falling from the second pool play finish to the third slot.
Despite Park taking a 1-0 lead following a sweep in the second pairs, redshirt freshman Erin Scott and freshman Allyson Reid kept grinding in their fours matchup after Mafalda Bras and Luna Martins were able to force a third set. Trailing 12-11 down the stretch, Scott and Reid rattled off a 4-1 run to clinch the pair and prevent Park from gaining a 2-0 advantage in a play-to-decision match.
With the momentum now clearly on the Warriors' sideline, Dennis and Bischoff continued their dominant postseason run with a convincing 21-10 win in the opening set before Park head coach Michael Talamantes decided to enact a medical forfeit while trailing 7-0 in the second with one of his best players playing through an injury that was having a clear effect on her ability to play her best beach volleyball.
Redshirt junior Nicole Bantilan and sophomore Emmi Marks kept the Corban energy up with a 21-16 win in the threes, followed by redshirt sophomore Sydney Sanford and freshman Cammie Masanda's 21-12 win in the fives. The two pairs then battled each other for who would finish first and complete the decision, which would prove to be Bantilan and Marks via their 21-18 result to clinch the match and advance Corban to the semifinal round.
No. 4 Arizona Christian 4, No. 1 Corban 1
1. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) def. Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens (ACU) 21-15, 21-13
2. Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Jessica McMillian/Danae Stokes (CRB) 21-16, 22-20
3. Railey Dykstra/Eliana Cho (ACU) def. Emmi Marks/Nicole Bantilan (CRB) 21-18, 16-21, 19-17
4. Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman (ACU) def. Allyson Reid/Erin Scott (CRB) 21-15, 23-21
5. Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Cammie Masanda/Sydney Sanford (CRB) 18-21, 21-16, 15-13
No. 1 Corban 3, No. 3 Park (Mo.) 1
1. Megan Dennis/Emma Bischoff (CRB) def. Jullia Alvarez/Serena Arruda (Park) 21-10, 21-0*
2. Grecia Ung/Arianna Marino (Park) def. Jessica McMillian/Danae Stokes (CRB) 21-12, 22-20
3. Emmi Marks/Nicole Bantilan (CRB) def. Iza Ceratti/Carla Pons (Park) 21-16, 21-18
4. Allyson Reid/Erin Scott (CRB) def. Mafalda Bras/Luna Martins (Park) 21-15, 18-21, 15-13
5. Cammie Masanda/Sydney Sanford (CRB) led Irene Verdino/Patri Ubeda (Park) 21-12, 18-20
In an unprecedented semifinal round matchup between the two top ranked programs in the NAIA, the Warriors will come face-to-face with No. 2-ranked Ottawa University-Arizona (22-9) for the first time this season with a spot in the national championship match on the line. Meanwhile, Arizona Christian will battle No. 7-ranked Vanguard University for the fourth time this season in the other semifinal contest.
Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Snapchat l YouTube l Email
Download our App: iOS (iPhone/iPad) l Android