CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Southern Oregon University beach volleyball team was named the Under Armour Team of the Week for April 20 – April 26, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Sunday.
Southern Oregon beach volleyball capped a historic season by capturing the NAIA Invitational National Championship, finishing the year 24-3 overall after an impressive run in Mesa, Arizona.
The Raiders opened the tournament strong, going unbeaten in pool play with wins over No. 5 Ave Maria (4-1) and No. 8 Wayland Baptist (3-2). SOU showcased its depth early, recording six straight-set victories across the two duals, highlighted by consistent performances from the No. 1 pair of Grace Gulbrandsen and Tessa Zimmermann and the No. 5 duo of Kendal Hadwick and Natalie Perez.
After a narrow 3-2 loss to No. 4 Ottawa University Arizona in the final pool play match, the Raiders responded in bracket play. They defeated No. 2 The Master's University 3-1 in the quarterfinals, rallying behind clutch wins from the No. 4 pair of Kaitlyn Shilling and Amanda Moffat and the No. 3 pair of Maelle Garon and Andressa Ribeiro Soares before Gulbrandsen and Zimmermann clinched the dual.
SOU then dominated familiar rival Corban University in the semifinals with a 3-0 sweep, setting up a championship rematch with Ottawa.
In the title dual, the Raiders delivered under pressure in a tightly contested 3-2 victory. The No. 2 pair of Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace opened scoring with a three-set win, while Garon and Ribeiro Soares continued their stellar season with a straight-set victory to give SOU a 2-1 edge. After Ottawa evened the match, the championship came down to Court 1, where Gulbrandsen and Zimmermann rose to the moment, winning 24-22, 21-19 to secure the national title.
The championship marks the first in program history for Southern Oregon, completing a remarkable rise from a 3-12 inaugural season just four years ago.
With dominant performances throughout the lineup and clutch play in the biggest moments, Southern Oregon established itself as the premier program in NAIA beach volleyball in 2026.