PHOTO GALLERY | EUGENE, Ore.  – Facing down three match-points in the final set, the Bushnell volleyball team rallied to score six out of the final seven points to win their third straight five-set match, 25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 17-15 over the Evergreen State College on Saturday Night.
 
The Beacons (11-6, 6-3 CCC) hit .240 in the grueling two-and-a-half hour match, and broke some team records along the way. Bushnell collected 74 kills to eclipse a record (72) that had stood since 2006. The team also combined for a record 68 assists.  
Bushnell had rolled out to a two-sets-to-none advantage after hitting .325 through the first two and looked well on their way to victory. The Geoducks (6-6, 6-3) had other ideas, however, as they stormed back to win the next two sets. They were on the edge of an upset victory, holding a 14-11 lead in the fifth, before the Beacons roared back.
 
Payton Jones opened up the rally with a kill, putting Logan Kaneshiro at the service line. The sophomore promptly earned a service ace, making it 14-13. On the next play, both Kaneshiro and Callie Wilkins produced jaw-dropping digs to save the match, the latter setting up a quick hit strike by Northern for her third kill of the match to tie things up.
 
Kaneshiro gave the Beacons their own match point with another ace, and after a Zoe Shaw kill brought Evergreen even at 15-15, Bushnell rattled off the final two points for the win.
 
"Man do I wish we didn't always put ourselves in these positions," said head coach Jason Corwin, "but it is fun to watch. They came through when it counted the most. I don't know why they seem to be so comfortable with our back against the wall, but they never stop. We have a lot of leadership and experience on the floor, but so many people came in tonight and made contributions. Everybody came in ready to play."
 
All-American Makenna Northern had yet another record-breaking night for the Beacons as the senior earned 61 assists, breaking her own Bushnell single-match record and breaking the 60-assist barrier for the first time.  
 
Corwin said, "Just when you start to run out of things to keep praising her for and Makenna finds new ways to better herself. We got bogged down a little bit in a couple of spots but she moved things around and figured it out. I don't call the offense on the floor, Makenna does, and the way we were scoring points is all on her. Those 74 kills happen because she puts the hitters in rhythm, they do the work to score the points against the defense in front of her."
 
Northern's big night included 22 digs, tying her career high and giving her a fourth consecutive double-double. The Beacons out-dug Evergreen 108-85 in the match and had three players collect at least 15 digs. Callie Wilkins led all players with 29, Kaneshiro finished with 21, and Bella Parque grabbed 15.
 
"Our defense was incredible tonight," said Corwin. "I can't believe some of those balls they got up. They were fast, they were scrambling, and they kept us alive on so many plays. That puts so much pressure on the other team to score points when you do stuff like that."
 
The offense was just as impressive as the defense, led once again by Jessica Northcutt. The senior broke a 16-year old record for attack attempts, swinging 78 times to shatter the previous mark of 74 which was set by Ashley Blanchfill in the first year of Bushnell's re-launched varsity program in 2006. Northcutt finished the night with a career-high 26 kills, missing Blanchfill's single-match record by one.
 
Halle Neuman added 17 kills for the Beacons and Shay Coons earned 14 with each pin hitter swinging at better than a .300 clip. The most efficient attacker was Matty Ladd who scored eight kills, hitting .500. Neumann and Ladd led the Beacons with three blocks apiece.
 
As is to be expected in a dramatic five-setter, Evergreen also posted some eye-popping numbers despite the loss. The team hit .193 and out-blocked the Beacons 8-5. Sierra Wolff had a great night running the show with 56 assists of her own, adding ten digs and three service aces. Lily Stewart collected 24 kills and three blocks while Zoe Shaw added 17 kills and 24 digs. Hannah Rongen hit .379 to lead the Geoducks, grabbing 13 kills along with a match-high five blocks. Amaya Carter ended her evening with a team-best 26 digs.
 
With the victory, Bushnell improves to 6-3 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, jumping into a third-place tie with the Geoducks with just two games remaining in the first half of the circuit next weekend. The Beacons will be in Lewiston, Idaho to take on Lewis-Clark State (9-5, 5-4) on Friday at 7:00 pm, before facing Walla Walla (0-8, 0-8), Saturday at 8:00 pm.