BUTTE, Mont.  – The Bushnell volleyball team went 0-2 on Saturday as they concluded play in the Big Sky Challenge, hosted by Montana Tech.
 
Facing their highest-ranked opponent in school history, the Beacons dropped their morning contest to No. 2 Jamestown in three sets. The afternoon closer saw Cornerstone, another team currently receiving votes in the NAIA poll, come back from a 2-0 deficit to claim the five-set win.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "We learned a lot this weekend about ourselves and what it will take to compete on a national level. That will only help us as we continue to get ready for our very tough conference."
 
(2) Jamestown 3, (RV) Bushnell 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-21)
 
The 2021 NAIA National Runner-up was impressive in sweeping the Beacons. The Jimmies hit .209 in the match, out-blocked the Beacons 4-3 and posted seven service aces.
 
The Beacons hit .106 and showed marked improvement as the match progressed. Brooke Silvernail led the offense, posting a match-high nine kills. Makenna Northern added 21 assists and Callie Wilkins registered 12 digs in the loss. Leah Agost had another remarkable performance, hitting .417 on the outside with six kills and two service aces.
 
"It was a tough morning against a good team," said Corwin. "We showed some resiliency being a bit short handed and still competed in two of the three sets. We have some things we can work on and make an immediate impact."
 
(RV Cornerstone 3, (RV) Bushnell 2 (14-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 16-14)
 
The Beacons jumped out strong against Cornerstone as they dominated the first set with a .316 hitting clip while holding the Golden Eagles to six kills and eight errors. Bushnell looked to be in control after winning the second set, but Cornerstone crept back into the game, sneaking away with the nail-biter.
 
Silvernail again led the way on offense, collecting 13 kills and hitting .375 while Shay Coons posted nine kills.
 
The middle blocking presence of Payton Jones and Matty Ladd accounted for 11 kills and a hand in nine of the Beacons' 12 blocks.
 
"Our afternoon match started really good and all phases were clicking," said Corwin. "Cornerstone picked up their serving pressure and covered their hitters better to force the fifth set. Brooke did a great job of keeping us in the match and brought us back to tie it at 14. What we need to work on in practice is what caught up to us at the end."
 
The Beacons will be back in action next weekend at their second pre-season tournament, traveling to the William Jessup Invitational. There, there will take on Menlo, UC Merced, Jessup and Simpson.