After witnessing a school-record for victories, and their first-ever trip to the Cascade Conference Semifinals in 2019, the 2020 season included even more improvement as the Beacon volleyball team finished third in the CCC and advanced to the NAIA Championship for the first time in school history.
 
The uniqueness of the 2020 season, which took place in the spring of 2021, has been overplayed, but at the same time, the way the Beacons pushed through adversity could never be overstated.
 
Opening the year with a brief Northern California road trip, the Beacons jumped out to a 3-0 start to the year with a victory over William Jessup sandwiched by two wins against Simpson.
 
The CCC slate commenced one week later with the first of two Idaho "pods" as all teams in the conference traveled to play at either new member Lewis-Clark State or at The College of Idaho. Bushnell began with a splash, topping LC State in back-to-back matches, before losing twice to Corban University the next day.
 
The next weekend played out in similar fashion as the Beacons swept a pair for The College of Idaho before losing to eventual CCC champion Eastern Oregon twice.
 
The final three weeks of the season transitioned to a more regular schedule among Oregon schools, and after splitting the first eight games at 4-4, Bushnell was able to make some noise, going 5-1 with five straight sweeps to close out the regular season.
 
In the process, the Beacons would garner their first ever votes in the NAIA National Coaches Poll throughout the season. The final regular season poll had Bushnell in the 31st spot, which put them in position to earn that first at large bid to the NAIA championship tournament.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said at the time, "is hard to describe the level of excitement at hearing we made it into the national tournament for the first time in school history. There has been so much hard work, commitment, and dedication from everyone involved from former coaches and athletes to current program participants. The biggest impact is our athletes, past and present, who accepted the vision and the challenge to take Bushnell where it has never been."
 
The prize for qualifying was a trip to Billings, Montana where the Beacons took on No. 18 ranked Rocky Mountain College in the opening round of the tournament. Bushnell fell in three sets, but showed they belong on the national stage which they are sure to return to in the near future.
 
For the Beacons, it ended up being the final match for seniors Natalie Martin, Claire Salness, and Kirsten Mueller. Corwin said, "What a great legacy this group of seniors has given us, lifting that first NAIA appearance banner on the wall. They had a lot of firsts, a lot of records, and they will be missed next season."
 
Bushnell ends their campaign at 13-7, with all but one loss coming at the hands of just three schools, Rocky, Eastern Oregon, and Corban, all teams ranked inside the NAIA top-20 for the entire year. The Beacon's .650 winning percentage is a new school-record.

Top Ten Stories of 2020-2021
#10 - Academics Remain Strong Through Adversity
#9 - Tea Chatelain Qualifies for NAIA Championship
#8 - Track Qualifies Two for NAIA, Has Four All-CCC Finishes
#7 - Beacons Launch Two Sports for 2021-2022
#6 - Leadership in the Pandemic
#5 - Fortnite Takes Fifth Place in NACE Championship
#4 - Volleyball Qualifies for First NAIA National Tournament
#3 - Men's Golf Wins First CCC Championship
#2 - Women's Basketball Repeats as CCC Champs
#1 - Character Focus Never Falters