EUGENE, Ore.  – The Bushnell volleyball team needed four sets to get the job done, but the Beacons ended the first half of the Cascade Conference schedule with a victory on Saturday night, defeating Lewis-Clark State College, 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-20.  
 
The Beacons (13-2, 12-2 CCC) continued to showcase their ability to play from behind, erasing deficits in all three set in which they were victorious. The end results was their sixth-consecutive lead and leaves them just two games behind CCC-leading Corban University as the conference enters the second round of the schedule next week.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "We accomplished what we wanted to, getting the win. We didn't play our best tonight against a really good offensive team. They can make some spectacular plays and they did tonight, but we weathered the storm and we found ways to score points. We problem solved and overcame some obstacles we were putting in our own way."
 
Bushnell got off to a bit of a rough start as LC State fired off five straight points in set one. Trailing 9-7, the Beacons clawed back to take the lead as Shay Coons provided three straight kills. After breaking an 11-11 tie, Bushnell didn't trail again.
 
In the second set, it was an impressive late comeback as the team trailed by as many as five and were down 21-18. The Beacons went on to score seven of the next eight points, and Coons again provided the firepower with kills on the final two points.
 
Corwin said, "That is the nice thing about this group. They are steady. We talk about that emotional consistency and being consistent with our play. We don't have to elevate and play better to achieve what we need at the end of the set and that puts pressure on the other team."
 
The Warriors continued to apply pressure, despite being down two sets to none, and claimed the set three win. Switching from a 6-2 rotation to a 5-1, the visitors went up 9-5 early and didn't trail the rest of the way.
 
Bushnell able Set four was just as fierce as it's predecessors as the teams battled through five ties and three lead changes. Bushnell again found themselves trailing, 18-17, but closed the door with an 8-2 rally.
 
"We wanted this one so bad," said Corwin, "ending the first half of the season but in our minds this is a launching point to the rest of the season and creating an opportunity to achieve our goals. I had them keyed up pretty good and that is my fault. We play our best when we are loose and when we are having fun playing the game we love. They responded well at the end of the fourth set."
 
The Beacons finished the night hitting .161 and held a 9-5 advantage in blocks. LC State (11-8, 6-5) hit .132, out-dug Bushnell 71-64, and posted nine service aces.
 
Coons and Halle Neumann finished the night with a match-high 13 kills apiece for the Beacons with Neumann adding four blocks. Payton Jones led the team with seven blocks, along with seven kills. Callie Wilkins provided a match-high 19 and Makenna Northern provided 40 assists.
 
Coons said, "Tonight was an important one for us. We felt a certain pressure that we hadn't necessarily felt before but we were able to push through the tension. Our defense tonight lit a fire for me and the rest of the hitters to be able to make plays despite LC's block presense. I am very proud of our team and the grit we showed tonight."

"Although we had some setbacks," added Neumann, "we kept our mental strength and finished the match strong. This win has set us up for a successful second half of the season."
 
LC State was led by Cassidy Nelson and Carli Berntson with 12 kills apiece, Berntson hitting a team-best .323. Kenzie Dean added 17 digs and three aces while Hannah Martinez, who ran the 5-1 offense for the final two sets, finished with 33 assists and 13 digs.
 
The Beacons start off CCC Round Two on Friday night, welcoming The College of Idaho (8-11, 5-6) at 7:00 pm.