EUGENE, Ore. – Scoring points and winning matches may look a little different in 2026, but for the NAIA's No. 19-ranked Bushnell Volleyball program, all signs point to another winning campaign as they aim to return once again to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
 
By all accounts, the 2025 season was the best in the 20-year history of the Bushnell volleyball program. That team set a new standard for victories with a 22-13 record, landed their highest-ever ranking in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, and earned a home game for the NAIA Opening Round. They won that match over MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in straight sets and advanced to the NAIA National Championship Final Site for the first time in program history.
 
Any discussion of the 2026 season needs to first deal with the proverbial elephant in the room: The graduation of not one but two of the greatest players in program history, who put the Beacons on their backs and lifted them to never before seen heights. In their careers, Hailey Heider and Leah Agost combined for over 1600 kills and four All-Cascade Conference nods.
 
We lost some impactful players and it is very difficult to replace that kind of leadership and talent," said ninth-year Head Coach Jason Corwin. "We have new leadership in place and now it's about finding out how to spread out that point production."
 
Corwin, who picked up his 200th career coaching victory last season, is quick to point out that there is still an abundance of talent amongst both the returning and new crop of players for the Beacons. They may just have to win matches in new creative ways without relying on a few "top gun" arms to score. He said, "We are going to have to win a little bit differently than we have in the past. What does that look like? Is it better blocking, better floor defense, getting a little more out of our serving, relying more on our toolbox of hitting technique versus just terminating power? That is what we are figuring out this preseason and those are all the things we have the talent to do."
 
The group that has been assembled for 2026 includes eleven veterans and eight newcomers, all ready to play their part in making another run at the national tournament.
 
SETTERS
 
Senior Emma Fa'alogo and junior Avery McCallister will split duties in Bushnell's 6-2 system. Fa'alogo led the charge last season and collected over 700 assists. Corwin said, "Emma's impact as a senior leader can't be understated. She has a super high volleyball IQ, keeps her hitters in rhythm and runs our game plan well. She is a comfort for the coaching staff and we explicitly trust her to make decisions on the floor."
 
McCallister played a back-up role over the past two seasons and is more than ready to assume responsibility for the offense in 2026. "Avery has gotten better every year, which isn't an easy thing to do," said Corwin. "The better you get at something, the harder it is to improve, and yet she continues to find a way to do that which has allowed her to secure an important role on this team. We aren't just hoping it will happen, we are watching it happen in real time."
 
New to the Beacons this season is freshman Kyrene Sideco (Las Vegas), who prepped at Bishop Gorman High School. She is renowned for being light on her feet, and will grow into a significant role with the Beacons during her career. Coach Corwin said, "Kyrene has good instincts on defense and there will be less balls hitting the ground because she is on the floor. She is lighting fast on redirect, and her ability to anticipate and read the floor are strong. There's just a jump that every setter has to make coming to the collegiate level. She is quickly learning our hitters and our expectations, and we anticipate she will continue to grow and push Emma and Avery and give us some hard decisions."
 
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
 
Twelve months ago, the middle blocking crew for the Beacons was more of a question mark, but quickly turned into a strong catalyst of the program, highlighted by a 14-block performance in Bushnell's upset win over Corban University in October.
 
"Last year we really enhanced our overall talent level in the middle," said Corwin. "It was a new look for us and it was about how we incorporated that and built confidence. We have all of that under our belt and now they are probably one of our strongest position groups."
 
Leading the way are a pair of returning starters in senior Soliel Sands and sophomore Aliyah Malone who combined to average over two blocks per set last season. This included a record-smashing season from Sands who collected 143 total blocks, breaking the previous single-season mark of 114 which had stood for six years.
 
Also returning to the position group is Carla Hanna, who is expected to work her way onto the court in the middle and on the right side. She earned time last season, exceeding expectations when called on, and Corwin believes she will continue to have an expanded role this year. "Carly is going to play a lot more this year," he said. "She is long and she is smart and we are excited to see what she can do on the floor. She is another one of those players that starts to make our decisions really difficult. Fortunately, we have a lot of opportunities in the preseason for these ladies to play in games and make an impact."
 
One freshman joins the fold in the form of 6'0" Aubrie Bergeron (Vancouver, Wash.) who was a League MVP at Skyview High School. Coach Corwin said, "We are requiring Aubrie to play faster than she needed to in the past and offensively she is meeting that challenge already. She is a long player with good reach and we can't wait to see what she will do during her career."
 
PIN HITTERS
 
The biggest training camp "battle" will surely be on the pins, where no less than nine players are vying for just a handful of spots in the rotation. "We have three right sides all even right now and four or five left side hitters, all with different strengths," said Corwin. "We are taking in a lot of data during camp to make good decisions, but at the end of the day we have confidence in anyone we put on the floor to get the job done."
 
Chief among the returners to the outside is senior Amyah Semau, who has quietly worked her way up the ranks of Bushnell's all-time greats and after just three seasons is already in the Beacon top-ten list for career kills with 693. She was a Second-Team All-CCC selection as a junior.
 
Coach Corwin said, "Amyah's steady impact over the last three years has been incredible. She could have been a First-Team selection last year and can this season. She does anything we need. She'll go up against a big block, she'll take advantage of a small block. She'll fill a similar role as in the past, but with some more responsibility and she's ready for it for sure."
 
Senior Ashlyn Tai, junior Peyton Arland and junior Addie Evans are also in the mix on the outside and all bring unique skill sets and ways to impact the team with "plug-and-play" versatility.
 
"Addie and Ashlyn have that good mix of strong serves and Addie might be the strongest server on the team," Corwin said, "Peyton was on her way last year before she got injured and it impacted the rest of her year. She has come in and she is ready to play. She is scoring points and does it differently than other players, and we are excited to see her use that creativity."
 
Returning on the right side will be 6'2" sophomore Teagan Dixon, one of the biggest surprises of 2025. Coach Corwin said, "Last year we didn't know what we had in Teagan and she came out in that first tournament and just blew up. She went in and proved to have the talent of a starter and we are excited to see her continue to do big things."
 
With the loss of Heider and Agost, improving the depth of the offensive attack was a focus of recruiting, and the Beacons believe they have a few stars in the making that will come on board for the 2026 campaign. Three transfers, Taya Blankenship (Seattle), Nyah Doan-Mitchell (Eugene), and Jerzie Bair (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) were brought in to shore up the pins. "We are trying to replace points this year," said Corwin, "so it was important for us to bring in some point scorers. Taya, Nyah, and Jerzie are at the top of that list."
 
Blankenship comes in from Western Oregon University, where she played in over half of the Wolves matches and averaged nearly two points per set. Corwin believes her impact will be felt immediately, on and off the court. He said, "Taya's energy is a welcome addition to the gym and she is a true competitor. There are a lot of ways she can score points and she has a good out-of-system swing that can put stress on our opponent."
 
Doan-Mitchell, a Churchill HS product and former First-Team All-State 5A player, will return to indoor volleyball and have four years of eligibility with the Beacons after starting her collegiate career with the Beach Volleyball team at NCAA Division I University of Portland. She is expected to bring her talents to both pins during the season. "Nyah brings in some great experience at high levels in the northwest," said Coach Corwin. "She hits really hard and as she gets used to being back on the hardwood again, she'll give us some versatility that we need."
 
Bair is a familiar face to the Cascade Conference, after playing two seasons at perennial power The College of Idaho, where she graduated in 2025. After a year off, the coaching staff has been excited with how quickly she is getting back into form as a graduate student. Corwin said, "There is no comparison to Jerzie's blocking and we are just hoping the rest of the blockers are watching her, mimicking her, learning from her. She is consistent, tall, vertical, and gets over the block on her attack and that alone is going to have a big impact for us this year. She is an intimidating presence at the net. If I was floor defense and there was a gap in the block, I would be quaking a little bit if I saw her flying to the ball. She's a perfectionist and wants to improve and get back into the form she was in with the Yotes a few years ago. As long as she gives herself as much grace as we do, she's going to do great."
 
The final piece to the pin-hitting puzzle is the addition of freshman Kennedy Toomer (West Linn, Ore.) on the right side. Toomer was an All-League selection as a senior captain and is a left-handed right-side hitter. "Kennedy has had a few really good days during fall camp, tooling the block and scoring points," said Corwin. "We have been trying to get a lefty right-side in here for years and there are just some affordances there that are a little different because of the unique approach and attack angles. The sky is the limit for her and we are excited to see her continue to develop as she gets used to playing faster and trusting her new setters."
 
BACK ROW
 
The Libero/Defensive Specialist group will be led by returning senior Chloe Farr, who played in over two thirds of Bushnell's matches last season. Coach Corwin said, "We are thankful to have Chloe's steady presence in there, knowing our conference and leading out back row."
 
She will be joined by a pair of freshman who have brought a new energy to the back row and will see plenty of time on the court right out of the gate.
 
Zyon Moevao (Albany, Ore.) comes to Bushnell from West Albany High School, where she was a Third-Team All-State selection. Malia Hernandez (Bend, Ore.) prepped at Sisters High School where she earned All-League honors during all four years on varsity.
 
"Zyon and Malia have been really pleasant surprises," said Corwin. "Their voices on the floor, their confidence and their movement keep our setters from having to work so hard. They are going to make an impact right away, whether as a serving specialists, DS's, or wearing the Libero jersey at some point this season, and they are going to do a good job for us."
 
SEASON OUTLOOK
 
The Beacons open the season on Friday, playing two games at Southern Oregon University as part of the Raider Invitational. They open against College of Saint Mary (Neb.) and also face Simpson University (Calif.).
 
From there, Bushnell faces five more non-conference opponents, including a pair of teams receiving votes in the NAIA National Coaches Poll in Taylor University (Ind.) and Columbia International University (S.C.).
 
Then on September 2 the Cascade Conference schedule starts with a bang as the Beacons play host to No. 5-ranked Corban University at 6:00 pm. The CCC slate never gets easier with at least ten matches against teams currently ranked in the top-25.
 
"Every weekend is a battle in this league," said Corwin. "We dropped some matches last year that we shouldn't have, because those teams had it clicking at the right time. You can't ever slip or slow down. We will get a lot of teams into the tournament from our conference, but they will still leave out a deserving team or two. We need to just do everything we can to make sure we aren't one of them."
 
The goal for the Beacons remains the same: Find their way back to the final site of the NAIA National Championship. Bushnell discovered last season how important it is to get into a position to be at home for the NAIA Opening Round, and they plan to fight for that opportunity again. Corwin said, "Hosting that opening round game makes a big difference, so that's our goal, to finish at least third or fourth in the CCC and earn our way back to Iowa. We built this program with the intent to be consistent, and part of that consistency is staying at the same level. There are a lot of high impact players that graduated out of this conference, and I really feel like the sky is the limit for what we can accomplish."