ROCKLIN, Calif.  – The Bushnell volleyball team collected 21 service aces across six sets on Friday as they turned heads with a pair of victories to open up play at the William Jessup Invitational.  
 
The Beacons (3-3) swept Menlo College and UC Merced behind a rock-solid service effort along with a combined .254 attacking percentage.
 
"This was a good day for Bushnell," said head coach Jason Corwin. "We served really well, we had points spread out by several players, and we blocked well. Matty Ladd, Callie Wilkins and Makenna Northern had some great service runs. Ella Schauer made some spectacular digs. Payton Jones hit for a high percentage and led the team in blocks. That is a great formula for success."
 
(RV) Bushnell 3, Menlo 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-8)
 
Bushnell improved dramatically as their first match rolled on, at one point rattling off 14 straight points during the dominant third set. Senior Makenna Northern was in serve for that monster rally, and finished the first match with three services aces. She was only out-done by sophomore Maddy Ladd's seven.  
 
The Beacons hit .232 in the match and were led on offense by Shay Coons, collecting eight kills. Ladd hit .500 with six kills while Halle Neumann, Payton Jones, and Jessica Northcutt posted five finishes apiece.
 
Northern led all players with 24 assists while Callie Wilkins collected a team-high 11 digs.
 
Menlo (4-4) hit .029 for the afternoon and were led by Gabby Mackenzie with five kills. Julia Tena led all players with 16 digs.
 
(RV) Bushnell 3, UC Merced 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-19)
 
The Beacons showed a little resiliency in the nightcap, climbing back from deficits during all three sets. The team was efficient once again, hitting .250 including a 13-kill, three-error effort in the closer.  
 
Neumann led the Beacons with 11 kills, adding three blocks while Northcutt hit .316 with ten kills. Ladd got her hands on four of Bushnell's seven blocks while adding two of their nine aces.
 
Wilkins led the team with three aces while Coons contributed eight kills and a team-high six digs.
 
The Bobcats (1-4) were led by Olanasaze Ojo with seven kills while Bianca Malaluan added 12 assists.
 
Corwin added, "Overall, it was a great showing from our senior leadership today. We saw a lot of really good things and we will continue to get better tomorrow with back-to-back matches."
 
The Beacons jump right back into action on Friday morning, taking on Jessup (2-1) at 10:00 am and Simpson (0-6) at noon.