EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell volleyball team continues to make history, earning another best-ranking-ever as they came in at No. 19 in the NAIA national coaches poll on Tuesday.
 
Bushnell (19-11, 13-7 CCC) went 3-1 since the last poll, earning a huge sweep over then-No. 12 Lewis-Clark State and a win over RV Walla Walla. Their reward was 201 points in the poll, a one-spot jump, and remaining behind said Warriors, whom the Beacons over-took for third-place in the CCC in the final weekend of the regular season. The Beacons lone blemish was a five-set loss to new No. 24 Southern Oregon.
 
In fact, the Beacons earned sole possession of third-place in the most daunting conference in the NAIA, but were only selected fifth among Cascade Collegiate Conference teams.
 
Regular season champion Eastern Oregon University (26-2, 18-2) regained their rightful place as the No. 1-ranked team in the country after closing out the regular season with four wins. Corban (23-4, 17-3) is riding a nine-match winning streak into the post-season and remained at No. 5 nationally.
 
The College of Idaho (18-9, 12-8) moved up two spots to No. 16 and LC State (15-9, 12-8) fell to No. 18. Returning to the top-25 were the Raiders (14-14, 11-9), coming in at No. 24, while Northwest University and Walla Walla University continue to receive votes.
 
The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
 
That consideration will come down to multiple factors considered by the national selection committee, including the Area Ratings Committee rankings, RPI, and Massey Ratings.
 
Bushnell has built a substantial resume this season, including five wins against NAIA Top-25 teams, and should be an easy selection to join the 48-team field, with a wide-open opportunity to also host an NAIA Opening Round contest for the first time in school history.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons will look to continue to boost their resume this weekend as they compete at the Cascade Collegiate Conference championships. The No. 3-seed Beacons take on No. 8-seed Northwest University on Thursday in the quarterfinals at 2:00 pm. The Eagles (16-11, 9-11) knocked off LC State in Tuesday's play-in game in straight sets.