EUGENE, Ore.  – The Bushnell Beach volleyball team is set to begin their third season this weekend and the theme for this year would seem to be 'consistency.'
 
Third-Year Head Coach Kim Elgarico said, "Between last year and this year we are significantly more consistent in all aspects of the game; defensively, offensively. We are starting to look like a seasoned team. We have a good amount of upper classwomen and we have experience on our side now. We have been lucky enough to play some Division I competition with this group and we have won which is exciting to see what they are going to do. We are absolutely deeper. We are going to be really competitive. In almost every pair we have solid combination of a big and a little or an attacker and a defender. We will be able to surprise people again this year."
 
Pair Preview
 
Halle Neumann/Kate Palelek
 
Unsurprisingly, graduate student Halle Neumann leads the way for the Beacons in her third and final season. She is the only two-time all-conference selection on the team and last year posted an 8-7 record from the No. 4 pair and was the only Beacon to finish above .500. She is joined this season by freshman Kate Palelek, a crossover athlete from the indoor team where she was a significant part of the setter rotation as a freshman in the fall.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Halle has by far the most experience on our team and this is going to be a good pairing because they play very relaxed together. Halle has done a great job in the past getting a freshman to hit their stride and gain confidence right away. Kate has so much beach experience and has played in a lot of high-level tournaments. She has a quiet intimidating intensity."
 
Brooke Silvernail/Jadeya Hayes
 
Seniors Brooke Silvernail and Jadeya Hayes will be the only pair to remain intact from the 2023 season and will have a similar role this season in the middle of the lineup. They were one of just two Bushnell pairs last season to compete together in every match, giving them a healthy dose of experience together.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Brooke and Jade are by far our craftiest and most aggressive pair. They have a competitive fire and they hit shots that you don't see coming and they know that a point is a point no matter how you put it down."
 
Courtney Isom/Anessa Stotts
 
Courtney Isom is a grad transfer from Oregon Tech, where she played four years of indoor volleyball for the Owls…. Her partner is junior Anessa Stotts, who has competed in every match for the Beacons over the program's first two seasons and went 9-9 last year as part of the No. 5 pair.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Courtney is a veteran who wanted to close out her collegiate career in beach. She will fight and play through anything and Anessa is very much the same. They are vocal and it is great to see two players who push each other to never give up on a ball. Anessa, year over year, has become a more offensive threat as a defender. She is hitting hard and really focusing on shots with pace."
 
Roslyn McLellan/Sydney Myhre
 
Junior Roslyn McLellan is back for her third season with the Beacons after picking up four wins as part of the No. 2 pair last year. Her new partner is transfer Sydney Myhre out of Sisters High School.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Sydney is a lefty who can rip the ball and is a great partner for Ros, who played with a lefty last year as well. Syd has beautiful hands that can set Ros up on the attack and Ros has improved significantly on the block and is progressing. They are going to be successful and I expect wins from them consistently."
 
Laci Jespersen/Reagan Walker
 
As a freshman, Laci Jespersen made waves for the Beacons and was named the Freshman of the Year by the NAIA West Pacific Northwest coaches. This year she will be joined by senior Reagan Walker who bumps into the lineup after working in exhibition matches last season. They will be Beacons lone "all little" pairing this season.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Reagan has stepped up and improved and worked really hard in the off-season. It is hard to get a ball on the ground around her because she will pick it up. Laci got to play with Halle last year and that has helped her to be able to develop leadership and confidence. They are becoming extreme offensive threats and as defenders it will be hard for teams to decide who to serve to because they have both been so consistent. They are the best servers on our team and put in bullets and are going to be fun to watch."
 
Avery Jenssen/Mai Tomlin
 
Freshman Avery Jenssen (Lynden, Wash.) and junior Mai Tomlin will open up the season as the No. 6 pair for the Beacons, working in a primarily "exhibition" role, but coach Elgarico recognizes their ability to step into the No. 5 role when needed and could be called upon as needed to sub in with other pairs.
 
She said, "Avery is a true freshman and came to us very last minute. She is a hard worker and extremely coachable and is becoming the person to watch out for on our team. She is honing in on her hitting and all of the elements. She is a great balance for Mai's defense. Mai has really stepped up and her sets have been very clean and consistent. You can count on her to be behind the block."
 
Olivia Kelzenberg
 
Junior Olivia Kelzenberg joins the Beacon this season after transferring from Lower Columbia College. She is expected to miss some significant time this season due to injury, but has quickly developed her critical administrative role with the program as a defacto fourth coach.
 
Coach Elgarico said, "Olivia is a huge asset to our team and while she probably won't be on the court she is very much a leader. She is a consistent player that we can count on in her passing and her offense and we can't wait until she gets healthy."
 
Outlook
 
The Beacons are preparing for their most robust schedule yet, including a pre-season five-match trip to Arizona scheduled to begin the season this weekend. They will play a total of ten non-conference matches, including their first ever host match at the new home facility at Grace Community Fellowship against The University of Portland on March 10.
 
With the addition of The College of Idaho this season, the Cascade Collegiate Conference now has five member schools and will play a three-game round robin schedule that will determine the first ever CCC Beach Volleyball Champion, along with the four schools that will qualify for the NAIA West Region Tournament.
 
Bushnell will host their part of the conference schedule on  April 5.
 
Should the Beacons land in the top-four of the CCC standings, they will head back to the NAIA West Region qualifying tournament in Chula Vista, California on April 11-13 with an opportunity to advance to the NAIA National Invitational Tournament in Greeneville, Tennessee, beginning on April 25.