SALEM, Ore. — Northwest University opened its 2026 beach season at the Corban Beach Volleyball Courts, facing nationally ranked opponents Corban University and College of Idaho on Friday before closing the weekend Saturday against Bushnell University. The Eagles competed in three duals over two days, highlighted by a pair of wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions against Bushnell.

Match 1: Corban 5, Northwest 0

Northwest opened the tournament against No. 2-ranked Corban, falling 5-0.
Corban secured the team point with straight-set wins across all five courts. The Eagles battled throughout, with the No. 2 pair of Aubree Dees and Ellie Van Berkum pushing a competitive first set (21-18) before falling in two. Rylie Hangca and Kylie Rankins also kept their second set close at the No. 1 spot (21-17).
Corban improved to 7-1 on the season, while Northwest moved to 0-1.

Match 2: College of Idaho 4, Northwest 1

Later Friday, Northwest faced No. 9-ranked College of Idaho. The Eagles earned a point at the top position behind a strong performance from Hangca and Rankins.
The duo secured a 23-21, 22-20 straight-set victory at No. 1, winning both sets by two points. The remaining courts were competitive, including a three-set battle at No. 2. Dees and Van Berkum claimed the second set 21-19 to force a deciding frame before College of Idaho pulled away.
Northwest moved to 0-2 following the dual.

Match 3: Bushnell 3, Northwest 2

Northwest closed the weekend with its tightest contest, falling 3-2 to Bushnell on Saturday.
The Eagles captured victories at No. 1 and No. 2. Rankins and Hangca earned a decisive 21-11, 21-11 win at the top court, while Dees and Van Berkum followed with a 21-16, 21-15 straight-set victory at No. 2.

Bushnell secured the team result with wins at Nos. 3, 4, and 5, including a pair of three-set matches at No. 3 and No. 4.

Head Coach Meng Bak says, "We saw high-level play from Corban this weekend and had some very close moments against College of Idaho and Bushnell. Those matches showed me that we're right there — and I'm confident we can flip those results into wins moving forward."

Northwest concludes the weekend 0-3 overall, with continued development shown across the top flights against strong competition.