SALEM, Ore. – The Bushnell beach volleyball team finally found the win column, and fought through adversity to do it on Saturday as they claimed a pair of wins against Simpson University in Cascade Collegiate action, hosted by Corban University.
 
Dealing with an injury-related substitution changed the Beacon lineup for the first time, and yielded some positive results as the Beacons improved to 2-4 on the season (and 2-4 in Cascade Conference action). With the losses, Simpson University moved to 0-4, 0-4.
 
Head Coach Kim Elgarico said, "We had to change things around a little today, but everyone stepped up and stepped into some new roles. They handled the job and were able to grab those important first wins of the season which will hopefully give us a little momentum going forward."
 
Bushnell University 4, Simpson University 1
1. Olivia Kelzenberg/Jazmyn Wilcox (BU) def. Abigail Shackelford/Tiara Manns (SU) 21-17, 21-12
2. Makenna Mosher/Jadeya Hayes (BU) def. Madison Kammuller/Paige Creasey (SU) 20-22, 21-12, 16-14
3. Lynette McKenzie/Mackenzie Tataryn (SU) def. Anessa Stotts/Hannah Brunston (BU) 22-20, 17-21, 15-10
4. Sydney Myhre/Laci Jespersen (BU) def. Dani Rydjord/Emilly Melo (SU) 21-14, 21-14
5. Monet Panther/Haley Engelbrecht (BU) def. Kare Ann Oshiro/Rylee Bringgold (SU) 21-6, 21-14
 
Leading the way in a 4-1 opening victory were Makenna Mosher and Jadeya Hayes (pictured) in the No. 2 pair. After losing a close first set, they cruised through the second to force a tie-breaker. There, they found themselves trailing 14-11, only to storm back with five straight points for the win.
 
The match-clinching win came at No. 5, where Monet Panther and Haley Engelbrecht picked up their first win of the season, cruising to a 21-6, 21-14 victory.
 
Panther said, "I am really proud of the way Haley and I played this weekend. We started out a little rocky on Friday, but today we were able to clear our minds and trust in our abilities. Our team really needed these wins to give us a boost into our next matches and everyone played well though all of the adversity we have had to go through."
 
"I am so happy with the team performance this weekend," added Engelbecht, "even with the hurdles we had to get over. Mo and I were a little shaky on Friday, but we showed our fire with our two dubs today."
 
Bushnell University 3, Simpson University 2
1. Olivia Kelzenberg/Jazmyn Wilcox (BU) def. Abigail Shackelford/Tiara Manns (SU) 21-16, 21-11
2. Madison Kammuller/Paige Creasey (SU) def. Jadeya Hayes/Makenna Mosher (BU) 21-19, 14-21, 15-10
3. Lynette McKenzie/Mackenzie Tataryn (SU) def. Anessa Stotts/Hannah Brunston (BU) 21-17, 21-19
4. Sydney Myhre/Laci Jespersen (BU) def. Dani Rydjord/Emilly Melo (SU) 21-9, 21-13
5. Haley Engelbrecht/Monet Panther (BU) def. Kare Ann Oshiro/Rylee Bringgold (SU) 12-21, 21-11, 15-5
 
Trailing 2-1 with two pairs to go, the Beacons picked up a three-set victory in the fives and sweep by Olivia Kelzenberg and Jazmyn Wilcox at No. 1, to complete the comeback.
 
The biggest win came at the No. 4 pair, where Sydney Myhre and Laci Jespersen capped off a perfect 3-0 weekend, allowing their opponent to score just 21 points combined over two sets.
 
UP NEXT: The Beacons (2-4, 2-4 CCC) return home on Tuesday and will play host to Corban University for a CCC double-header, beginning at 12:00 pm.