KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  – The Bushnell volleyball team got back on track on Friday night, taking down Oregon Tech in four sets, 25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17. Senior Libero Bella Parque made the most of her birthday becoming the seventh player in school history with 1000 career digs.
 
Bushnell (8-4, 3-1 CCC) hit .237 in the match and dominated offensively, holding a 69-51 advantage in kills with both Elijah Sanders and Kate Palelek posting over 30 assists as they found six different players for double-digit swings and had three different players post at least 12 kills.
 
Oregon Tech (7-5, 0-4), who had been receiving votes in the latest NAIA national coaches poll, hit .176 and out-blocked the Beacons 8-5.
 
"We really found our comfort zone tonight," said head coach Jason Corwin. "We played confident, relentless volleyball. We didn't get rattled when Tech had spectacular swings or digs. We just moved to the next opportunity. We flexed when we needed it and it was a real confidence boosting win against a good team. I am proud of the way we responded after losing to Corban on Tuesday."
 
Bushnell opened the match strong, going on a 6-0 run that included a pair of Hailey Heider kills. The Beacons went on to control most of the set, but saw the Owls close to within 21-18. Ariana Guerra answered the final rally with a kill and the visitors closed out the frame.
 
The Beacons used a 6-1 run midway through set two, breaking open a 12-12 tie as Guerra added another pair of kills. The Owls battled back to within 24-22 but Matty Ladd ended the set with a kill.
 
Oregon Tech was able to extend the match and avoid a sweep in the third set as they closed the set on a 4-1 rally after trailing 22-21. The Beacons, however, dominated the fourth set that saw Amyah Semau (pictured, left) post back-to-back aces in a six-point run that built a 19-11 lead. Bushnell cruised to the victory with Semau posting seven kills in the set including the match-winner.
 
Semau ended her night with a double-double, earning a career-high 23 kills along with 14 digs. Her kill total was the fourth-highest in school history. "We came into this match with high energy and confidence," said the sophomore. "OIT was playing some really good volleyball but we were intentional about keeping our level of play. I am very proud of this team for playing together and bouncing back after the tough loss on Tuesday."
 
Guerra also posted big numbers with a season-high 15 kills, hitting .361. Leah Agost scored 12 kills while Ladd added nine. Sanders led the way with 31 assists and Palelek was close behind with 30, adding 12 digs. Heider added 14 digs, along with five kills and she was one of three Beacons to earn a pair of aces, along with Semau and Parque.
 
And what a night it was for Parque, celebrating her birthday with a match-high 29 digs. She finished the evening with 1,005 over her career, placing her in elite company. She said, "After getting swept by Corban we knew that we had to bounce back tonight. We all had grit and did what we needed to do to play Beacon volleyball. We are a competitive team that cares about winning and it really shows. We played as one tonight."
 
The barrage that is the Cascade Collegiate Conference continues on Saturday at 4:00 with Bushnell heading to Ashland to take on No. 5 Southern Oregon University. The Raiders (9-1, 4-1), who last weekend defeated No. 2 Eastern Oregon, suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, falling to No. 9 Corban in five sets.