SALEM, Ore.  – Appearing in the CCC Semifinals for the third straight year, the Beacons came up just short of a debut appearance in the conference tournament championship as they dropped a five-set thriller to Corban on Friday night, 22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12.
 
The Beacons did plenty of things right in the match, keeping the NAIA's No. 8 ranked Warriors on their heels for most of the night. Bushnell held an 11-9 lead in the final set before Corban rallied to win six of the final seven points to seal the home victory.
 
"We had a really good start to the game tonight against a really good team on their home floor," said head coach Jason Corwin. "We got tripped up in the second and third set but I love the way we responded in the fourth and how strong we started out in the fifth. We couldn't maintain it to finish the set, but I am very proud of the way we fought and we tip our hats to Corban."
 
Bushnell (21-7) hit .180 in the match and was led by a team-best 15 kills from outside hitter Shay Coons. The other outside, senior Camille Guerrero (pictured), had a strong night with 12 kills and 18 digs. Makenna Northern also had a double-double with 40 assists and 11 digs, adding seven kills as she hit .600 to led the team. Payton Jones added eight kills and four blocks while Halle Neumann posted nine kills.
 
Northern said, "This was a tough loss. We played hard and really wanted it, but it wasn't in the cards this year. Corban played just one-percent better than us. We all love this game and all of us would have loved to have another shot at Eastern, but that will just have to wait for next year."
 
Corban (27-2) hit .222 in the match and out-blocked the Beacons 13-5. Rylee Troutman led the way with a 20-20 performance, leading all -players with 23 kills and 20 digs. CCC Player of the Year Avari Ridgeway was held to just .088 hitting, but secured 11 kills and 14 digs in the victory.
 
Corban, having already earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, will face No. 12 Eastern Oregon University in the tournament championship game on Saturday afternoon.
 
For the Beacons, their fate is in the hands of the NAIA Volleyball selection committee as they find themselves planted firmly on the bubble for an at-large selection to the tournament. Bushnell has created a strong argument to be included. Ranked just outside the NAIA Top-25, the Beacons have collected 21 wins this season, including a pair of 3-0 victories over currently ranked teams (Corban and Oregon Tech). Every Bushnell loss to top-25 teams this season were in either four or five sets, showing an ability to play up to the level of their competition.
 
The full 48-team field for the 2021 tournament will be announced on Monday morning.