EUGENE, Ore.  – The Bushnell volleyball team avenged an earlier loss to LC State and clinched a third-place finish in the Cascade Collegiate Conference as they defeated the Warriors on Senior Night, 25-17, 16-25, 25-21, 25-19.
 
With the win, the Beacon close out the regular season at 19-11, including a 14-8 mark in the CCC. They end the year in a tie with Southern Oregon for third place, matching their best finish in school history.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "We started out with a ton of energy, slipped in the second, but had a great response for sets three and four. That truly defines their grit and determination. I am proud of this team for the way they closed out the match tonight."
 
Makenna Northern added, "It was fun to get a win on senior night. During the third and fourth sets we had complete control. It was a good win for us and we are ready for the conference tournament."
 
Bushnell sent off their seniors in style after celebration Callie Wilkins, Shay Coons, Jessica Northcutt, Halle Neumann, Peyton Ritchie, Payton Jones, and Northern in a pre-game ceremony.
 
Bushnell stormed out of the gates with a convincing first set and survived a rough second to close out the win in four behind a .220 hitting night and a 15-5 advantage in blocks.
 
Senior Payton Jones saved the best performance of her career for her final home game as she broke her own single-match record with 11 blocks, and in the process became Bushnell's all-time leader with 315.
 
"I wouldn't have wanted my last match on our home court to go any other way," said Jones. "The atmosphere in the gym was fun and supported. Even though we dropped a set, our focus did not waiver. I am happy to be able to continue the journey with this team next weekend."
 
Northern had another strong night leading the Bushnell offense, collecting 44 assists and 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. The three senior pin hitters all got in on the action with double-digit kills and Neumann scored 15 along with seven blocks, Northcutt added 13 and five blocks and Coons posted ten kills, hitting .259. Wilkins made the most of her final Morse Center moment as well, collecting a match-high 18 digs.
 
LC State (16-11, 12-10) hit .127 in the match and were led by Grecia Ung Enriquez with a match-high 16 kills. Kenzie Dean added 18 digs in the loss while Ester Kailiponi collected 15 assists. The Warriors finished the year tied for sixth-place in the CCC and they will head to the CCC tournament as the #6 seed.
 
Bushnell claimed the No. 4 seed for the CCC tournament after losing the tie-breaker with Southern Oregon. The Beacons will face off against No. 5 seed Evergreen State at 12:30 pm on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Regular-Season champion and No. 1 seed Eastern Oregon University will play host to the entire tournament next weekend.
 

Senior Spotlight

 
Callie Wilkins
Wilkins has been with the Beacons for three years after transferring from Concordia University-Portland. She has played in over 240 sets in her career and she ranks fifth all-time with over 1200 digs and eighth all-time with over 90 service aces. She is a two-time All-Conference selection and was the 2021 Cascade Conference Libero of the Year.
 
Coach Corwin said, "Callie has been an integral part of both our offense and defense from the moment she transferred to our program.  She has been a positive presence by pushing our standard of play to the next level.  We cannot thank her enough for her dedication and fierce commitment to our success."
 
Shay Coons
Coons has been with the Beacons for four seasons and has played in 233 sets. She has collected 620 kills which ranks eighth on Bushnell's all-time list. Shay was a First-Team All-CCC selection in 2021 after posting the second-highest single-season kill total in school history. Shay is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll. In 2021 She was also named Bushnell's Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
 
"Shay has been such a large part of creating the standard in the outside group," said Corwin. "Her volleyball IQ along with her dominant performances is going to be missed."
 
Payton Jones
Jones has been with the Beacons for four seasons and has played in 354 sets. She has collected 613 kills which ranks tenth on Bushnell's all-time list. Payton is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll.
 
Corwin said, "With the exception of strategic rest, Payton has started every match all four years she has been here! She has all the qualities we look for in an athlete. We asked her to buy into our vision for this program and she accepted the challenge and exceeded our expectations."
 
Halle Neumann
Neumann has been with the Beacons for four seasons and has played in 307 sets. She has collected 661 kills which ranks seventh on Bushnell's all-time list and she is also in the top-ten all-time for block assists and total blocks. Halle was an All-Conference honorable mention selection in 2021 and was named the teams Offensive Player of the Year in 2019. She is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll.
 
"Halle has been a strong consistent presence on the right side for the last four years," said Coach Corwin. "Her genuine love for the game and her teammates is contagious and irreplaceable.  We are so excited she has chosen to spend her Covid year with us next season." 
 
Jessica Northcutt
Northcutt has been with the Beacons for four seasons and has played in 261 sets. She has collected 560 kills which ranks 13th on Bushnell's all-time list. This season, Jess leads the Beacons with 272 kills. She was named the Most Improved Player in 2019 and was name Most Inspirational in 2021. Jessica is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll.
 
Coach Corwin said, "Jess's presence is felt on and off the court. She racked up some dominating performances and has been a steady force during this successful run with this program."
 
Peyton Ritchie
Ritchie has been with the Beacons for four seasons and has played in 50 sets. In 2020 she was named the Beacons Most Improved Player. She is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll.
 
"We cannot say enough great things about Peyton," said Corwin. "She pushes her teammates in practice and gives 100% in games.  We will miss her presence and her energy on the team."
 
Makenna Northern
Northern has been with the Beacons for five seasons, coming back to use her extra CoVID year this season. Among her numerous records and awards are three NAIA All-American Honorable Mentions, as well as the 2021 CCC Setter of the Year. She is an 11-time CCC Setter of the Week and has three First-Team All-Conference honors. Makenna is Bushnell's all-time leader for sets played and assists. She ranks third all-time for service aces and sixth for digs, highest among setters. Makenna is an academic all-conference selection, an NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a member of the Athletic Directors Honor Roll. She has also been named Bushnell's Female Athlete of the Year in each of the past two years. 
 
Corwin said, "Makenna quite simply helped change the standard of expectations for this program. She came back each year determined to be a better setter for her teammates. Her leadership and fire will be something we will always remember."