The Southern Oregon University Raiders won the NAIA Women’s Beach Volleyball National Invitational on Saturday in Mesa, Ariz., defeating Ottawa (Ariz.) 3-2 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds to secure the program’s first national championship.
The Raiders, the tournament’s top seed at 19-2, relied on its top pair to close the dual. Grace Gulbrandsen and Tessa Zimmermann delivered the deciding point, winning in straight sets, 24-22 and 21-19, to break a 2-2 tie and secure the championship.
Championship dual comes down to top pair
The final required all five courts.
Southern Oregon’s second pair struck first, where Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace defeated Olga Romero and Shayna Martinez in three sets, 21-16, 19-21, 15-9.
Ottawa responded with a straight-set win in the fourth pair, and later evened the dual again with a win in the fifth pair, keeping the championship within reach.
Between those results, Southern Oregon regained the lead in the third pair. Andressa Ribeiro Soares and Maelle Garon controlled their match in straight sets, 21-12 and 21-16, putting the Raiders one point from the title.
That left it to the Raider first pair.
Gulbrandsen and Zimmermann won a tightly contested opening set, 24-22, before closing the second, 21-19, to secure the championship.
SOU middle pairs sweep Corban as Raiders convincingly defeat CCC rival in semifinal
Southern Oregon advanced to the final by defeating Corban 3-0 in the semifinals earlier Saturday.
The matchup marked the fifth meeting between the two Cascade Collegiate Conference programs this season. Corban accounted for one of Southern Oregon’s two losses during the regular season, but the Raiders had already responded with four consecutive wins entering the semifinal, including two in the CCC Championship Tournament.
While the two previous duals between Southern Oregon and Corban at the CCC Championship tournament were competitive contests, complete with late-dual drama, Southern Oregon secured straight-set wins in pairs 3, 4 and 2 to sweep Corban and advance to the national final for the first time in program history.
Tournament path includes early loss, quick response
The Raiders opened the Invitational in pool play Thursday with wins over Ave Maria (Fla.) and Wayland Baptist (Texas).
Southern Oregon closed pool play Friday with a loss to Ottawa, the defending national champion, finishing 2-1 and advancing to the single-elimination bracket.
The Raiders responded later that day with a quarterfinal win over The Master’s (Calif.), earning a spot in the semifinal round.
What a National Championship means moving forward
Southern Oregon’s national championship doesn’t close a window. It establishes one.
The Raiders are in their fourth season as a varsity program, and they’ve already moved from building phase to benchmark.
From a roster standpoint, Southern Oregon isn’t built on a single class or one dominant pair. The lineup that delivered the championship is supported by a full roster that extends well beyond the five pairs used in competition.
That depth creates stability and raises the baseline in training, where competition for positions is constant.
With underclassmen and returning contributors throughout the roster, the Raiders are positioned to carry momentum into next season rather than rebuild. That’s not always the case at this level, where turnover can reset progress quickly.
“We stress to returners to continue getting better,” remarked Head Coach Paul Elliott.
Winning a national championship — especially this early in a program’s lifecycle — changes visibility. It broadens the recruiting pool, both regionally and internationally, and reinforces a clear pitch: Southern Oregon’s program can develop players and win at the highest level.
Coach Elliott also credits his team’s efforts in the recruiting process.
“This team does a great job selling our program to recruits,” said Elliott. “We are able to attract and sign quality people, good students and talented players.”
Southern Oregon isn’t building its Beach Volleyball program.
It’s established.
