by Agustin Tapia

Bushnell

Bushnell has started strong with a 9-4 record overall. In Cascade Collegiate Conference play, they are 7-2. The team managed to win in their last match against Oregon Tech, this win could boost their confidence against the College of Idaho on Friday. Speaking of winning, when Bushnell previously played against COI, they won 3-0. The Beacons have proven they can beat the Yotes and know they can do so again. This is thanks to the reliability in scoring from #20 Matty Ladd, with 77 kills, followed closely by #6 Halle Neumann, with 71 kills (in conference play). In conference play, services aces have been led by #3 Bella Parque, with 13 garnered, and #7 Amyah Semau with 11. 

College of Idaho

This season for COI has brought them a record of 9-8, matching Bushnell with a 7-2 conference record. They are coming into Friday with a win against Walla Walla University. The Yotes no doubt they want another taste of victory, especially against the team they were unable to beat last year. Overall, Idaho has had more games this year than Bushnell so they are more warmed-up in teamwork in the heat of action. The players to watch out for at the service line are Haley McUne and Analese Hitchcock with 12 and 10 service aces respectively. Their attackers are also of note, both with high kills in this conference alone: Janae Rayborn with an astonishing 83 kills and Haley McUne coming in close with 76. Definitely, McUne is someone worth watching out for the offense of the team. 

Eastern Oregon

Overall, the Mountaineers are 15-1, and in conference play they are 8-1. Their only loss was against Northwest (WA) but they won’t have to face them again until October. Instead, the statistics foreshadow that they will continue winning against the remaining teams. Their winning strategy comes with their offense, relying on their leading attacker, Sadie Williams, who has 87 kills. Their second highest attacker, Ashton Haughton, has totaled 65. Alexis McMutrey and Hailey Arritola  have 13 and 8 service aces respectively, maybe not as much as Bushnell or Idaho, but there is no slacking in the team’s offense. 

Final Overview

Historically speaking, when EOU has matched up against Bushnell, the Mountaineers have 27 wins to just a single loss. On a similar note, COI has had ten wins against Bushnell and have suffered nine losses. The chances for Bushnell winning against both teams are always fifty-fifty, but there is more pressure when matching against the Mountaineers. Will this history continue or will the 2023 roster of Bushnell break Eastern Oregon’s winning streak? Find out this weekend at the Morse Center.