LA GRANDE, Ore.  – Bushnell had their season come to a close on Friday morning, falling to Southern Oregon University in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank. The Beacons fell 25-15, 15-25, 25-18, 25-19, but not before senior Halle Neumann put one final stamp on her illustrious career, capturing a new all-time Bushnell record for kills.
 
Coming into the match, Neumann needed just four kills to surpass Janel Fetters as the Bushnell standard-bearer. She completed an 11-kill effort to put the final touches on a 930-kill career. Fetters had 922 kills from 2010-2013.
 
"I could not be more proud of this group of girls and how we fought every step of the way," said Neumann. "I am so thankful and blessed to have been a part of this team for the last five years and I am so excited to see what they will accomplish in years to come."
 

As for the match, the No. 6-seeded Beacons put in a strong performance to close out the year, falling to the No. 3-seeded Raiders (26-5). A rough 25-15 loss in the first set could have spelled disaster, but Bushnell steadied the ship and put together a .520 hitting performance in set-two with 15 kills and just two errors. The final sets remained close throughout and Bushnell held a 19-18 lead in the final frame before SOU rallied to score the final seven points to advance to the semifinals.
 
"We had our chances but SOU made the plays down the stretch," said head coach Jason Corwin. "Their block and right-side attack hurt us. I thought we had a balanced offense and served aggressively."
 
Neumann led the Beacons with her 11 kills while Leah Agost added eight, Celia Hubbard posted seven and Matty Ladd added seven. Katie Belitz led the team with 20 assists while Peyton Ritchie capped off her career with a double-double, scoring 17 assists and 12 digs.
 
"This season has been such a blessing," said Ritchie, "and we fought as hard as we could. SOU is a great team and I am happy to go out as we did with the fight and tenacity that we had."
 
Belitz added, "We played for each other and for our seniors today and even though we came up short, we can be proud of the work we have accomplished this season. We will get better every day in the off season. This team is full of amazing girls and will always be special to me."
 
"Today's game was a tough one," added Agost, "but we fought through it and really gave it our all. We worked hard and played for each other and I think that is something we can be proud of. I love everyone on this team and I am so thankful for everything that our seniors contributed to this program."
 
Bella Parque posted another 21 digs, securing her spot at the top of the Bushnell single-season record book with 5.15 digs per set this season. She breaks the previous record of 4.79, set by Dana Clark in 2011. She also becomes just the fourth Beacon ever to collect 500 digs in a season, ending with 520.
 
"Even though we lost I am beyond proud of this team," said Parque. I am so happy to be in the Bushnell family. We gave it our all, which is all that matters. We left everything on the court and I am so grateful to be a part of it and to glorify God throughout the season."
 
Another near-record came on the blocking front as Makenna Mosher posted two more block assists, giving her 91 on the season which is just one shy of the record posted by Payton Jones last season. As a team, the Beacons set a new school record for the second year in a row, finishing with 398 block assists.
 
Bushnell closes out a 16-12 season, having qualified for the CCC tournament for the fifth straight year and eight time overall. The Beacons also posted their fifth consecutive winning season both overall and in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
 
Corwin closed out the year saying, "We fought hard and gave it all we had today just like we have all season. I am so grateful that I got to coach this group of Lions. I am thankful for everything the seniors have given to this program and university.