SALEM, Ore.  – Bushnell took a set off of NAIA no. 7 ranked Corban University on Tuesday night, but were unable to get over the hump as they fell in four sets, 25-17, 23-25, 25-14, 25-14.
 
The Warriors (11-0, 5-0 CCC) took advantage of every opportunity, capitalizing on a number of unforced errors by the Beacons and emerged with a .242 hitting percentage. Corban out-blocked the Beacons, 13-6, and held a strong 9-1 advantage in service aces while the Beacons posted eight service errors.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "We played tough against a good team but we lacked the consistency to keep pressure on them. We need to work to maintain that consistency for all sets against all opponents."
 
Makenna Northern, who led all players with 35 assists, said, "It feels good to take a set off of the number seven ranked team in the nation, but that only left us hungry for more and I am excited to see what we can do the next time around."
 
The Beacons, who were just the third opponent to take a set off the Warriors this season, got strong play from the pins as sophomore Shay Coons and junior Jessica Northcutt combined for 27 kills. Northcutt posted a team-high with 14 while Coons (pictured) added four blocks to her 13 kills. Callie Wilkins led the team with 17 digs while Northern added 11 for the double-double.
 
"Corban is always good competition no matter what," said junior Payton Jones, who led Bushnell with five blocks. "Walking into their gym and winning is a tough thing to do. We had a fire under us after winning set two, but we didn't execute well. It is a tough loss but if we stay more consistent we know we can compete with the best teams and that is encouraging going forward."
 
Bushnell (7-2, 3-2) will play their first home matches of the season this weekend with a difficult slate. The Beacons will host Oregon Tech (9-1, 5-0) on Friday at 7:00 pm and then No. 21 Southern Oregon (7-3, 2-3) on Saturday at 5:00 pm.