EUGENE, Ore. – The Bushnell Volleyball Team swept MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday, 25-21, 25-16, 25-22, in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, and will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa for the first time in school history.
The Beacons (21-12), ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Coaches Poll and hosting the Opening Round contest for the first time in school history, struggled to get their bearings in the first set, but dominated the Pioneers in sets two and three to the tune of a .405 attack percentage as the scored 21 points in the second and 23 in the third.
Head Coach Jason Corwin said, "The girls were so ready for this moment. The atmosphere was electric and our student body really showed out. We fed off that energy and nothing phased us. I am really proud of how we competed, setting our standard for this match and exceeding it tonight."
Bushnell was led by the outside-hitting tandem of Hailey Heider and Amyah Semau. Heider was dominant from start to finish, posting a match-high 15 kills as she hit .419, adding 12 digs and three blocks. Semau tied the team-high with three aces and added seven digs and seven kills, including the match-winning kill to send the Beacons to Iowa.
"I am so proud of this team," said Heider. "To come out swinging in a playoff game with the energy we had was so much fun and I can't wait to see what we can get done in Iowa."
"The atmosphere in our gym tonight was amazing," added Semau. "Our team and the fans brought so much energy that helped fuel our win. We came out strong and confident and never let up even when the scores were close. I am so proud of this team and excited to head to the final site!"
Hitting .296 as a team meant the Beacons had a number of impressive offensive performances including a nine-kill effort from Leah Agost, hitting .421 and a seven-kill, zero-error night from Aliyah Malone, hitting .875. Soliel Sands chipped in a match-high five blocks, while the setting duo of Katie Belitz and Emma Fa'alogo combined for 39 assists. Belitz added three aces, and Kailey Shirley powered the team with a Beacon-best 13 digs.
MidAmerica Nazarene (21-9) was led by Isabella Munari and Mia Olson with nine kills apiece while Avery Lowe and Alyssa Reichard each earned eight. Emily Mathis earned a match-high 20 digs.
UP NEXT: Bushnell heads to pool play at the NAIA Final Site at the Tysen Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, beginning December 3. They will find out their pool assignment and specific opponent and match times on Sunday.
Unsurprisingly, the Beacons will be joined at the final site by four other schools from the Cascade Collegiate Conference as the CCC went 5-2 in Saturday's opening round. No. 1 Eastern Oregon, No. 5 Corban, and No. 20 College of Idaho all swept at home while (RV) Lewis-Clark State went to Indiana and knocked off No. 22 Taylor University in four sets.