CALDWELL, Idaho – The Bushnell volleyball team completed an important season sweep on Friday night, taking down No. 22-ranked College of Idaho in Cascade Collegiate Conference action, 25-17, 25-23, 11-25, 25-21.
 
It wasn't the highest ranked opponent the Beacons have ever defeated and it wasn't a dominant win, but with the timing and the post-season implications, it may have been one of the most significant wins in program history. With the victory, the Beacons defeated a signature opponent and gave themselves a sturdy 2.5-game lead over the Yotes for fourth-place in the CCC standings, along with the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "The impact of this match can not be overstated. We are a patient program that has travelled to play the tough matches. We have worked tirelessly to get Bushnell where it has never been. There have been some good wins, and some fun wins, but C of I seems to be the team we get program-defining wins against. There is still a lot of work to do, and some more signature wins to try and pick up, and seven more matches to play to establish ourselves in the conference and hopefully nationally."
 
The Beacons (16-7, 11-4 CCC) weren't perfect, struggling to get anything going in the third set, and getting out-gunned by the Yotes in most statistical categories. Bushnell dominated on the front and back ends, however, combining for 30 kills and a .377 kill percentage between the first and fourth sets.
 
"Nothing phased us tonight," said Corwin. "C of I made some good defensive plays, good blocks, and hammered us in set three. It did not matter. We just kept responding and competing. We played with confidence and I am so proud of how the team approached this match."
 
Senior Brooklynn Dechent (pictured), who tallied four kills and three blocks while hitting .500, said, "Energy, confidence, and trust are what pulled us through the match tonight. We have worked so hard at closing out games and it really showed tonight. We knew what needed to be done and didn't hesitate, even with that setback in the third."
 
Hailey Heider led the Beacons on offense on Friday, collecting 14 kills and three service aces. Matty Ladd added 12 kills and three blocks and Ariana Guerra finished with ten kills. Amyah Semau led the back-row with a match-high 17 digs while Bella Parque added 13.
 
Semau said, "We played very confidence tonight and we held our own against a good team. Although we got in a rut in the third set, we responded extremely well. I am so proud of us tonight and it was a win that we needed."
 
"I am so proud of the fire we brought tonight," added Katie Belitz, who ran the offense to the tune of a .203 attack percentage with a match-high 25 assists. "We showed up to play at our standard and we put a lot of pressure on them, which is something we have been working on. This was such a fun game and we definitely proved ourselves tonight."
 
The Yotes (12-10, 8-6) finished the night with a 60-52 edge in digs and 9-7 margin in blocks, but the defensive advantage didn't give them enough of an edge as Bushnell held them to a .183 hitting percentage.
 
Mia Hutchinson ended her night with 15 kills and three blocks while Shelby Nichol added ten kills, hitting .409.
 
The Beacons will try to take their momentum into another Top-25 opponent on Saturday, facing off against No. 4 Eastern Oregon University (20-2, 12-2) at 4:00 pm. The Mounties swept No. 9 Corban on Friday.