EUGENE, Ore. – Senior
Amyah Semau became the first Bushnell volleyball player ever to collect 800 kills and 1000 digs, leading the Beacons to a sweep over No. 19 Southern Oregon University on Friday evening, 25-21, 31-29, 25-19.
The Beacons (10-4, 5-2 CCC) currently receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll, grabbed another statement win behind a 15-3 advantage in blocks, along with ten service aces. The Beacons hit .255 in the match while holding the Raiders (12-5, 4-3) to .092 hitting.
Head Coach
Jason Corwin said, "Our blocking really showed up tonight and it was a really steady performance all around. We scored a lot of our own points against a good team. We have season Southern make notable comebacks all year but this is no time to celebrate. We need to get ready for an OIT team playing good volleyball right now."
Semau came into the night needing 11 digs to clear the 1000 dig plateau in her career. She ended the night hitting .333 with 12 kills and 12 digs, adding three service aces. She now has 1001 digs along with 850 kills and ranks sixth in Bushnell history in each category.
"What a great milestone for our of our team leaders," said Corwin. "She has been so consistent for us from the moment she came into the program. Nobody deserves this recognition more than Amyah."
The dynamic Middle Blocker duo of Soliel Sands and
Carly Hanna were on their A-game on Friday, with each senior posting seven blocks.
Taya Blankenship added five blocks while tying Amyah for the match-high with 12 kills and
Teagan Dixon earned 6 kills and four blocks.
Emma Fa'alogo led the offense with another double-double, posting a match-high 20 assists and team-leading 13 digs.
Avery McCallister also had a strong night with 13 assists, along with five service aces.
"I think we did a great job keeping our standard of play tonight," said Semau. "The atmosphere in the gym was great and fueled our energy. Tonight was a win that proved we can compete at a high level."
Southern Oregon was led in the loss by Friley Curtiss, collecting ten kills while Duda Leite added eight kills. Annie Hite earned a team-high 18 assists while Katie White led all players with 15 digs.
UP NEXT: Bushnell will play host to Oregon Tech (8-7, 2-5) at 4:00 pm on Saturday.
