CALDWELL, Idaho  – In the not-so-distant past, the conference road trip to Caldwell would always yield the same result; a loss to The College of Idaho, usually in three sets. On Saturday, however, the Beacons were able to beat the Yotes on the road for the fifth time in three seasons, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22.
 
The Yotes (3-7, 0-2 CCC) held relatively late leads in all three sets, but each time the Beacons (5-1, 1-1) had an answer. The middle set proved to be the most precarious, as C of I held a 23-20 lead but the Beacons closed on a 5-0 run to win it.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin, who moved into a tie with Kelly Pitre on the Bushnell coaching wins list with 50, said, "The team responded well to earn the weekend split tonight. It is always hard to play in this gym but we stayed focused, recovered well from mistakes and kept the pressure on our opponent. We will work this week to improve and be ready for the Portland teams next weekend.
 
Bushnell out-hit the Yotes .223 to .211 in the match, and held a 6-5 lead in blocks as Freshman Matelynn Ladd (pictured, above) had her hand in all five roofs. Ladd added eight kills and two of the Beacons' six service aces.
 
Makenna Northern posted the third-most assists ever for a Beacon in a three-set match, collecting 41. Halle Neumann (pictured, left) tied the match-high with ten kills, hitting .556 as she went error-free. Payton Jones added nine kills while Callie Wilkins registered match-highs of 17 digs and three aces.
 
Wilkins said, "After a disappointing loss at Eastern it was important for us to come out strong and fast. Winning the first set established the tone for the rest of the match and we were able to get back to winning. Our front row did a great job of putting the ball down and Makenna did a great job of keeping us in our offense. We are coming together as a team and learning how to work well together."
 
"Our team had a fantastic level of consistency," added Neumann. "Although there were a few setbacks, we kept our spirits high. Our serve receive was solid and allowed us to put in system swings on the ball. I am so proud of these girls for playing all-around great volleyball."
 
The Beacons will be on the road once again next weekend, traveling to take on Multnomah University on Friday at 7:00 pm and Warner Pacific on Saturday at 5:00 pm.