EUGENE, Ore. – Perhaps the brutal gauntlet of the regular season schedule was exactly what the Beacons needed to prepare for the playoffs. Bushnell opened up play in the CalPac Tournament on Thursday making history as they defeated No. 10 Park University-Gilbert, 3-2.
A nail-biting dual that took over two hours in temperatures eclipsing 90 degrees, came down the wire with freshmen
Teja Abbott and
Anessa Stotts claiming a three-set victory at No. 5 to seal the win. After winning the first set 22-20, the pair lost the second by the same score, only to come back to claim the 15-13 win in the third.
Stotts, who picked up her own first win of the season, said, "It has been such an amazing experience playing down here. Teja and I couldn't have done it without having each other's backs, or without our teammates cheering us on from the sideline."
Earlier, both the No. 1 team of
Makenna Northern and
Shay Coons, along with the No. 2 team of
Jessica Northcutt and
Camille Guerrero pulled off three-set victories as well, helping to give the Beacons (1-13) their first-ever dual win.
Northern said, "That was a good game. We played consistent and didn't let the heat get to us. It is a different atmosphere down here and we are having a blast."
The No. 3 team of
Halle Neumann and
Brooke Silvernail was close to putting the victory away early, but fell in dramatic straight sets, 21-19 and 23-21.
The Buccaneers were just the fourth different team the Beacons have seen all year, as the regular season featured nine matches with No. 6 Corban, three with NCAA Division I University of Portland and one with NCAA Division I Boise State.
BUSHNELL 3, PARK-GILBERT 2
1. Makenna Northern/Shaw Coons (BU) def. Miranda Bacon/Jen Lauer (Park) 21-17, 17-21, 15-11
2. Jessica Northcutt/Camille Guerrero (BU) def. Annika Wallace/Megan Hicks (Park) 16-21, 21-13, 15-11
3. Giuliana Irvine/Haylee Kroczynski (Park) def. Halle Neumann/Brooke Silvernail (BU) 21-19, 23-21
4. Georgia Romine-Black/Grace Hughes (Park) def. Olivia Peck/Roslyn McLellan (BU) 21-13, 21-12
5. Teja Abbott/Anessa Stotts (BU) def. Jasmine Urban/Jessi Medlin (Park) 22-20, 20-22, 15-13
Order of finish: (2,4,3,1,5)
The victory set up the tenth dual of the season against Corban, as the Warriors won their first contest of the day as well, defeating seventh-seeded Marymount.
Northcutt and Guerrero stayed hot, winning their No. 2 meeting in straight sets, 21-12, 26-24. The second set proved to be the longest of the season for any Bushnell pair. The win was the only one in the match for the Beacons, who fell 4-1.
#6 CORBAN 4, BUSHNELL 1
1. Avari Ridgeway/Makenna Campbell (CRB) def. Makenna Northern/Shay Coons (BU) 21-13, 21-13
2. Jessica Northcutt/Camille Guerrero (BU) def. Nicole Bantilan/Maya Blake (CRB) 21-12, 26-24
3. Kianna Keeling/Cameron Keeling (CRB) def. Halle Neumann/Brooke Silvernail (BU) 15-21, 21-13, 15-13
4. Briana Ayala/Jessica McMillian (CRB) def. Olivia Peck/Roslyn McLellan (BU) 21-5, 21-19
5. Jolin Daviscourt/Megan Dennis (CRB) def. Teja Abbott/Anessa Stotts (BU) 21-14, 21-15
Order of finish: (2,4,3,1,5)
At the conclusion of pool play, seeds were announced for the bracket portion of the tournament. Fueled by their win over Park, the Beacons were elevated to the No. 3 seed. Park was dropped all the way to the No. 6 seed, setting up a rematch in the quarterfinals at 11:00 am on Friday. The winner of that match will once again face off against the winner of No. 2 Corban vs. No. 7 Marymount in the semifinals.
