BUTTE, Mont.  – The Beacons put up a fight on Saturday afternoon, playing to extra points in four sets and earning a match-point opportunity in the fourth, but the upset bid fell short as they lost in five sets to No. 15 Montana Tech in the NAIA Opening Round, 26-28, 25-19, 25-27, 28-26, 16-14.
 
Bushnell (21-8) had the Orediggers on their heels for most of the match, coming out with the victory in sets one and three. The Beacons then had MT on the ropes as they found themselves leading 26-25 in the fourth set with an opportunity to punch their ticket for Sioux City.
 
Boosted by their home crowd, however, Tech found a way to score three straight points with a kill and back-to-back blocks to force a deciding fifth set. The Orediggers were forced to rally once again in the fifth, as Bushnell held a 10-5 lead. They found a way, ending on an 11-4 run to seal the Beacons fate.
 
"Tonight was a heartbreaking loss for us," said head coach Jason Corwin, who guided Bushnell to their best season in school history. "We went into a tough, experienced opponents home floor and we battled. We tip our hats to Montana Tech and we wish them well at the NAIA Final Site. This disappointment tonight will fuel our fire to overcome the next milestone for our volleyball program."
 
Bushnell was led as they have been all year by junior Makenna Northern. Three assists into the first set she became Bushnell's all-time leader in the category and she finished the night with the tenth 20-20 game in school history, collecting 54 assists and 22 digs.
 
"Makenna does so much for us and has been doing it for so long that it is easy to take her performance for granted," said Corwin. "Her efforts tonight show just how impactful she is for us and why she was the CCC Setter of the Year."
 
Defensively it was a huge night for the backrow as they out-dug the Diggers, 87-69. Seniors Jackie Harmon, Camille Guerrero (pictured), and Callie Wilkins went out on a strong note with double-digit digs. Guerrero added 14 kills for a double-double while Wilkins collected a Beacon career high 29 digs.
 
Corwin said, "We moved Callie to left-back tonight and she showed why she was the CCC Libero of the Year. Jackie passed a near-perfect game and was always serving in crucial moments during the match. Camille was served to 41 times tonight. These seniors took our program to a place we have never been. They have set a new standard of excellence for this program and they will be terribly missed."
 
Also providing big numbers for the Beacons, Shay Coons finished with 14 kills, Halle Neumann and Payton Jones scored ten kills each, and Jones added five of Bushnell's six blocks including two solo blocks.
 
Montana Tech (22-9) finished the night hitting .241 and out-blocked the Beacons, 15-5. Karina Mickelson led the team with eight blocks, adding 14 kills. The Diggers also survived a match in which they had 18 service errors. MT advances to the NAIA Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, beginning on November 30 along with the 23 other winners from Saturday's opening round.