EUGENE, Ore. – Hailey Heider's impressive season continued on Friday night as the junior tied Bushnell's single-match kills record, leading Bushnell to a 25-22, 30-32, 25-15, 25-14 win over Northwest University in Cascade Collegiate Conference action.
 
With the win, the Beacons (17-10, 12-7 CCC) keep a hold on a share of fourth-place in the conference while the Eagles (12-15, 7-12) move a half-game behind Walla Walla for the eighth and final playoff spot with three games remaining.
 
Heider finished her career-best night with 27 kills, hitting .379 and adding 20 digs for the fifth 20/20 game ever for a Bushnell hitter. She added four blocks and two aces. She ties the Beacon all-time record which was set by Ashley Blanchfill in 2006 and equaled by Janel Fetters in 2010. She also becomes the first Bushnell player ever with at least 25 kills in two separate matches after scoring 25 kills against Evergreen in early October.
 
"We played really scrappy tonight and Northwest kept us on our toes with their tough service pressure," said Heider. "Offensively, we dominated and the front row put up a wall of a block. We knew coming into the game that it was going to be a battle, but we prepared and we were geared up to win."
 
The night started off as anything but easy as the Beacons found themselves in a battle through the first two sets. The team was able to settle in to close out the match with two strong sets, however, finishing with a .275 attack percentage and an 84-53 advantage in points scored. The Bushnell defense was up to the task as well, out-digging the Eagles 77-65 while holding a 12-4 margin in blocks with Makenna Mosher posting a career-high nine blocks.
 
Mosher also matched her career-high with nine kills, hitting .615 as the Eagles had no answer for her attack in the middle of the net. Amyah Semau joined the party as well with nine kills and a team-high 22 digs while Brooklyn Dechent made an impact on the right side of the attack, hitting .375 with a season-high seven kills as she doubled her highest number of attempts on the year.
 
Decent said, "Tonight was a test of all the hard work we have done mentally and physically. I am so beyond proud of this team, to come out and stay emotionally consistent and calm and work together. We have worked hard to get to where we are in the conference right now, even with obstacles in the way. I am proud to be a part of this team and to work with my teammates to come out with another win."
 
Leading the well-rounded attack for the Beacons were Katie Belitz and Elijah Sanders, combining for 52 assists in four sets. Belitz posted 33 assists on her own, along with two of Bushnell's 11 service aces. Bella Parque led all players with three aces and added 18 digs of her own.
 
The Eagles were held to a .052 attack percentage in the match and were led by Kaitlin Mickle, collecting 13 kills and two blocks. Morgan Harter posted a double-double with 25 assists and 15 digs while Ellie Van Berkum led all players with 23 digs.
 
Bushnell will play their final home game of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking on The Evergreen State College (4-19, 4-15) at 4:00 pm. Before the game, seniors Brooklyn Dechent, Ariana Guerra, Matty Ladd, Makenna Mosher, Bella Parque and Elijah Sanders will be honored in a Senior Night ceremony.