PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (April 22, 2022) – The Webber International University women's beach volleyball team concluded its 2022 season after participating in the first-ever NAIA National Invitational. The Warriors were eliminated in the semifinal round after a 4-1 loss to No. 1 Vanguard University.
 
The Warriors (17-8 overall, 9-0 SUN) matched up against No. 6 Corban University and No. 1 Vanguard University in its two pool play games to begin the tournament. Webber fell to both in a tight 3-2 loss to Corban and a 4-1 defeat to Vanguard. The following day, Webber faced No. 8 Park University in the opening round and were victorious 4-1 before falling to Vanguard, 4-1, yet again in the semifinal round.
 
The No. 2 pairing of Montana-Rae Pelak and Bailey Sikkema were named to the All-Tournament Team for the inaugural Women's Beach Volleyball NAIA National Invitational with a tournament record of 3-1.
 
WEBBER LINEUP:

• No. 1: Cindy Garcia Penaloza and Lily Arnold
• No. 2: Montana-Rae Pelak and Bailey Sikkema
• No. 3: Wandaleen Harris and Sara Weisrock
• No. 4: Jessica Terry and Kiersten Tisdale
• No. 5: Brianda Valdez and Nadia Reid

WEBBER 2, CORBAN 3 (POOL PLAY):

• Garcia Penaloza and Arnold were defeated in the No. 1 spot, 21-9, 22-20.
• The No. 2 seed of Pelak and Sikkema won their match, 21-17, 21-19.
• The pairings of Harris and Weisrock as well as Tisdale and Terry both fell in two sets; 21-11, 21-16 and 21-11, 21-15 respectively.
• In the No. 5 spot, Valdez and Reid won a close three-set match, 21-16, 17-21, 15-7.

WEBBER 1, VANGUARD 4 (POOL PLAY):

• The only match victory for the Warriors came via the No. 5 seed of Valdez and Reid, winning 17-21, 21-10, 15-13.
• No. 4-seeded Tisdale and Terry came up just short in a close three-set match, 20-22, 21-16, 15-10.
• In the No. 1 spot, Garcia Penaloza and Arnold fell 21-11, 21-9.
• Pelak and Sikkema lost their only match of the tournament in the No. 2 seed, 22-20, 21-15.
• The No. 3 seed of Harris and Weisrock were defeated, 21-17, 21-15.

WEBBER 4, PARK 1 (OPENING ROUND):

• Garcia Penaloza and Arnold were victorious in the No. 1 spot, 14-21, 21-14, 15-12.
• No. 2-seeded Pelak and Sikkema took down their opposition, 21-19, 21-11.
• Harris and Weisrock in the No. 3 spot were defeated in three sets, 14-21, 21-10, 15-9.
• The No. 4 seed of Terry and Tisdale won a close three-setter, 21-13, 17-21, 15-13.
• In the No. 5 spot, Valdez and Reid cruised to a relatively comfortable victory of 21-13, 21-16.

WEBBER 1, VANGUARD 4 (SEMIFINAL):

• In a rematch of pool play, the No. 1 spot, Garcia Penaloza and Arnold dropped in two sets, 21-14, 21-13.
• The No. 2 seed of Pelak and Sikkema earned a 21-18, 21-15 victory, the only match win for the Warriors.
• No. 3-seeded Harris and Weisrock fell 21-12, 21-8 while Valdez and Reid in the No. 5 spot were defeated 22-20, 21-14.
• A tight three-set match would end in favor of Vanguard in the No. 4 seed as Terry and Tisdale lost 21-18, 21-23, 15-9.

The two teams from Webber's pool, Corban and Vanguard, would face-off against each other in the championship final with Corban winning a close matchup 3-2.
 
The Warriors end their season with an overall record of 17-8, tying their single season win record of 17 from 2019. Webber was named Sun Conference Regular-Season Champions for the second time in a row (2021, 2022) and earned its second Sun Conference Tournament Championship (2019, 2022). The Warriors also earned their third Small College Beach National Championship (2017, 2018, 2022). Webber finishes the year as the No. 4 nationally-ranked team in the country.