NAIA INVITATIONAL
Saturday's Schedule
10 a.m. – No. 1 SOU vs. No. 3 Corban (Semifinals)
1 p.m. – TBD vs. No. 4 Ottawa (Ariz.) or No. 8 Wayland Baptist(Texas) (Championship)
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
MESA, Ariz. — Only two more opponents stand between top-ranked Southern Oregon and the championship trophy, after eliminating The Master's (Calif.) in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Invitational on Friday afternoon.
The Raiders (22-3 overall) topped the No. 2-ranked Mustangs 3-1, clinching the victory after the No. 1 pair of Grace Gulbrandsen and Tessa Zimmermann won their match 21-18, 21-19.
SOU trailed 0-1 from the get-go after No. 2 pair Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace fell in a sweep. At the same time, their No. 4 pair of Kaitlyn Shilling and Amanda Moffat dropped their first set 15-21. Shilling, a senior from Roseville, Calif., and Moffat, a sophomore from Spokane, Wash., then rallied off two clutch sets. They took set two, 21-17, which sparked a commanding 15-4 tiebreaker to even the score 1-1.
Their third pair of Maelle Garon and Andressa Ribeiro Soares carried the momentum, sweeping TMU's Brock and Unruh, 21-12 and 21-14, paving the way for Gulbrandsen and Zimmermann to put the nail in the coffin. The Master's ended its season 19-9 overall.
"We had to grind today," said coach Paul Elliott. "I'm very proud of how all of our pairs can contribute at different times to win duals. It'll be a fun day tomorrow."
Southern Oregon will already have an extensive scouting report on hand for Saturday morning's semifinal, facing a familiar conference rival in No. 3 Corban, who will be looking to avenge its Cascade Conference Championship loss. It will be the sixth time this season and 11th in the past two that the squads go head-to-head.
The Raiders have won the last four duals – including the CCC title game – and look to give the Warriors a taste of their own medicine after being bounced out of the 2025 NAIA Invitational in the semifinals by Corban. This year's CCC Championship dual came down to a nail-biter final set where Ribeiro Soares and Garon came out on top.
Earlier in the day, defending national champion Ottawa (Ariz.) ended Southern's 17-dual win streak in the final round of pool play. The fourth-ranked Spirit — who were No. 1 in five of the six Coaches' Top 10 polls – won 3-2. They're set to play Wayland Baptist (Texas) in the other semifinal dual.
In the other quarterfinal duals, Ottawa defeated Arizona Christian 3-0, Wayland Baptist beat New College of Florida 3-2 and Corban swept Ave Maria (Fla.) 3-0.
The Raiders face Corban at 10 a.m. If they win, they'll play the winner of the Ottawa/Wayland Baptist dual in the championship round at 1 p.m.
Southern Oregon 3, The Master's 1
1. Grace Gulbrandsen/Tessa Zimmermann (SOU) def. Emma Winter/Zoe Yates (TMU) 21-18, 21-19
2. Ashlan Van Groningen/Isabela Rodrigues (TMU) def. Kira Sandoval/Molly Grace (SOU) 21-17, 21-19
3. Maelle Garon/Andressa Ribeiro Soares (SOU) def. Addy Brock/Ashlyn Unruh (TMU) 21-12, 21-14
4. Kaitlyn Shilling/Amanda Moffat (SOU) def. Macy Gebhards/Krista Brady (TMU) 15-21, 21-17, 15-4
5. Kendal Hadwick/Natalie Perez (SOU) vs. Arianna DeRaffaele/Kayla Goodwin (TMU) 22-20, 14-12 (trunkated)
Order of finish: 2-4-3-1
Ottawa 3, Southern Oregon 2
1. Eliana Dean/Maya Blake (OUAZ) def.Grace Gulbrandsen/Tessa Zimmermann (SOU) 22-20, 22-24, 15-12
2. Kira Sandoval/Molly Grace (SOU) def. Olga Romero/Shayna Martinez (OUAZ) 14-21, 24-22, 15-11
3. Maelle Garon/Andressa Ribeiro Soares (SOU) def. Alicia Romero/Katy Shockey (OUAZ) 21-11, 21-9
4. Shea Marovich/Alexia Luengo (OUAZ) def. Kaitlyn Shilling/Amanda Moffat (SOU) 18-21, 21-15, 15-11
5. Mariella Ramos/Gabriela Corrales (OUAZ) def. Kendal Hadwick/Natalie Perez (SOU) 21-17, 21-8
Order of finish: 5-2-4-3-1