MESA, Ariz. - [BOX SCORE | BRACKET] Southern Oregon captured the NAIA Beach Volleyball Invitational championship on April 25 with a 3–2 win over OUAZ (Ariz.) in a match that swung on momentum and timing. 

The dual opened with Southern Oregon’s Pair 2 of Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace in a tightly contested battle against OUAZ’s Shayna Martinez and Olga Romero. Sandoval and Grace struck first, taking the opening set 21–16, but OUAZ answered in the second, 21–19, to level the match and push the point to a deciding third. In the tiebreaker, Southern Oregon regained control and closed it out 15–9, earning the first team point of the championship and setting an early tone for a match that would ultimately come down to the final pairings.

OUAZ responded in the other match of the first wave, as the 4 pair, Shea Marovich and Alexia Luengo, delivered a straight-set win over Southern Oregon’s Amanda Moffat and Kaitlyn Shilling. Marovich and Luengo won 21–16 and 21–14 to even the overall score at 1–1, ensuring the title would be decided in the later wave of matches once Pairs 1, 3, and 5 took the court.

When the remaining three pairs began, Southern Oregon put itself in position to clinch behind two decisive performances. In Pair 3, Andressa Ribeiro Soares and Maelle Garon controlled their match against OUAZ’s Katy Shockey and Alicia Romero, winning 21–12 and 21–16 to give the Raiders a 2–1 lead.

OUAZ then tied the score with a win in Pair 5, as Marielle Ramos and Gabriele Corrales defeated Southern Oregon’s Natalie Perez and Kendal Hadwick 21–17, 21–17, trimming the final margin to 3–2. 

The clinching point came from Pair 1, where Tessa Zimmermann and Grace Gulbrandsen edged OUAZ’s Eliana Dean and Maya Blake in a pressure-packed first set, 24–22, before pulling away in the second, 21–9. That straight-sets victory secured Southern Oregon’s third point and, with it, the Invitational Championship.

All-Tournament Team 

Emmi Marks, Corban (Ore.)

Emma Bischoff, Corban (Ore.) 

Gabriela Corales, OUAZ (Ariz.)

Eliana Dean, OUAZ (Ariz.)

Marielle Ramos, OUAZ (Ariz.)

Maya Blake, OUAZ (Ariz.)

Isabela Rodrigues, The Master's (Calif.) 

Ashlan Vangroningen, The Master's (Calif.) 

Tessa Zimmerman, Southern Oregon 

Grace Gulbrandsen, Southern Oregon 

 Most Valuable Player: Emma Bischoff, Corban (Ore.)

 Coach of the Year: Paul Elliot, Southern Oregon