SALEM, Ore.  –In the first of what will be a three-game series between the schools this season, NCAA Division I University of Portland gained the upper-hand first on Saturday as they claimed a 3-2 win over the Beacons in a neutral-site affair hosted by Corban University.  
 
In the opening flight, Sydney Myhre and Laci Jespersen were swept in the No. 4 match while the No. 2 duo of Brooke Silvernail and Anessa Stotts lost in a nail-biter, 15-21, 21-16, 15-11.
 
The second flight started with another win for UP at the No. 3 spot to clinch the victory, but the Beacons were not going to go down without a fight.
 
The No. 5 pair, Roslyn McLellan and Mai Tomlin (pictured), picked up a 21-19, 21-15 win, the first victory of the season for Tomlin and the first for the team as a pair.
 
"It was really fun to get to play with my best friend and pick up our first win as a pair," said McLellan. "We have good chemistry as partners, we felt great, and we were in control from start to finish. Getting a big win defeating a D1 pair in only two sets is a huge accomplishment."
 
Halle Neumann and Kate Palelek closed things out at the No. 1 spot with a three-set victory.
 
McLellan added, "It was fun to get the opportunity to play two Division I schools this weekend. Our team played really well against the competition and the whole team did a great job supporting and cheering on one another."
 
Ready or not, the Beacons will head to the first weekend of Cascade Collegiate Conference competition next week in Ashland, Oregon. On March 1 Bushnell takes on No. 4 Corban as well as Northwest, before facing the host Southern Oregon on March 2.
 
The next meeting with the University of Portland will be on March 10, a big day for the Beacons when they will officially open their courts at Grace Community Fellowship and play their home opener.