EUGENE, Ore.  – Conference-leading Corban University is perfect no more as the Bushnell volleyball team swept the Warriors in CCC action on Tuesday night, 25-23, 26-24, 27-25.
 
For the Beacons (15-3, 11-3 CCC) is was their first-ever victory over an NAIA Top-10 ranked team and it helped push them back into a third-place tie with Oregon Tech in the conference. Corban (19-1, 13-1) falls for the first time this season, having dropped just eight sets during the season previously.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "There is no such thing as a perfect match, but we got all phases of the game going tonight. We did such a good job of managing the opportunities in front of us and attacking with confidence. It put a lot of pressure on Corban to make plays and tonight they made more errors than they are used to."
 
It was a close fight from the jump as neither team led by more than four points for the entirety of the match. Trailing 9-7 early in the first set, Bushnell went on a 5-0 run to take a lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The Beacons hit .407 in the set with just one unforced attacking error, setting the tone for the next two sets.
 
Set two featured ten ties and five lead changes as they teams continued to slug it out. Corban looked to be in control with a late 21-19 lead but three straight kills gave the lead back to Bushnell. Corban responded by taking the next two points for a 23-22 lead, only to have Bushnell answer with combo blocks from Matty Ladd and Halle Neumann on two of the next four points as they claimed the win.
 
Corban continued to apply the pressure in the third set, which saw another 14 ties and five lead changes. Bushnell found themselves with the first match point, leading 24-23, only to see Corban go ahead 25-24 with an Avari Ridgway kill and block. Bushnell responded with back to back kills before ending the night on another combo block from Ladd and Neumann.
 
The junior class for the Beacons, which has been the heart of the program for the past three seasons, played a big part in what can only be described as the biggest win in program history. Neumann had six kills and three blocks. Payton Jones had three kills and a pair of blocks. Cambria Lingenfelder returned to the front row and stepped up with a double-double, earning 11 kills and 13 digs while hitting .391. Jessica Northcutt came in and provided a solid serve that kept the Warriors off balance.
 
"We brought this junior group in for our second year after we had tied for tenth in the conference," said Corwin. "We were hoping to build with that group and get into the top six and they did better than that, getting top-four as freshmen. This class is all about making history for Beacon volleyball and they did it again tonight. The more you improve the harder it is to get better, and they continue to find ways to get better, no matter how slim the margins. It is fun to see this group go and they are helping to reset what the expectations of this program are for all future classes."
 
Lingenfelder said, "We have put in a lot of work and we knew we were capable of beating Corban but sweeping them on our home court was an unimaginable feeling. We are excited to continue the season with the same energy."
 
Jones added, "Tonight we knew we had to come out with a lot of energy, but we also knew we had nothing to lose. We played our hearts out and had so much fun doing it. I am so proud of everyone for stepping up to the task at hand. Now we know we can play with anyone."
 
Neumann said, "I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished tonight. Our outsides had phenomenal hitting percentages, our middles had a solid block, and our back row had amazing digs that allowed Makenna to set up our offense for success. This was a perfect win to set the tone for the rest of the season. All of our hard work payed off tonight and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this team."
 
The Beacons were led on offense by Shay Coons, hitting .342 with 15 kills. Callie Wilkins led all players with 14 digs and Makenna Northern once again ran the court with aplomb, collecting 40 assists, two kills and two blocks, leading Bushnell to a rebound win after ending a 14-match home winning streak on Saturday to No. 13 Eastern Oregon.  
 
"What an awesome way to follow up a tough loss to Eastern last weekend," said Coons. "Things came together tonight in terms of keeping our standard of play up. We had energy from the court and the bench fueling our fire. We never let the moment get too big tonight. We played loose and we had fun."
 
Wilkins added, "We have so much respect for Corban's program. Coming off of Saturday's loss we knew we had not played up to our ability. Tonight we were focused, we were all in sync and on the same page. We focused on consistency over the last week and we did that tonight."
 
The Corban offense was led by setters Ciarra Judson and Jadyn Mullen combining for 35 assists and 13 digs. All-American hitters Rylee Troutman and Avari Ridgway provided the bulk of the attack with Troutman matching Coons' 15 kills and Ridgeway adding nine kills and four blocks.
 
Corwin was proud of how the team handled one of the best outside hitting pairs in the nation. "We left it to our outside hitters to make those decisions on defense and they elected to stay under the block which was successful. They still scored, but they didn't score with a bunch of other players. We slowed them down enough for the rest of our team to get going. Cambria and Camille did such a great job of reading the hitters and knowing where they ball would go. That leaves a lot of ground for Callie to cover in the back row and she has such good eyes back there and did such a good job."
 
The victory was just the fifth ever for the Beacons against a ranked opponent and snaps a seven-match losing streak to the Warriors. Northern said, "I have been a Beacon for four years and this is the first time we have beat Corban. They are a powerhouse program and today we proved that we can be too. We played 110% and we deserve this feeling of victory and accomplishment that we all feel, after sweeping the number-six ranked team in the nation."
 
Corwin said, "Our women's basketball coach reminded me before the game that you can't just knock on the door, because they aren't going to let you in. You have to knock the door down. For us tonight, with Corban's ranking, for how well they have played all season, the significance isn't lost on us. This is validation for all the hard work these ladies are constantly putting in to get better every single day. Corban is one of the best teams in the country and they are going to be there at the end of the season. Hopefully we are going to be right there with them."
 
The Beacons return to the court this weekend for a pair of 7:00 pm home matches, taking on Warner Pacific on Friday and Multnomah on Saturday.