KIRKLAND – Northwest gets a big opportunity this weekend with two of the top Cascade Collegiate Conference volleyball teams visiting Friday and Saturday for 7 p.m. matches.
Seventh-ranked Corban comes to Kristi Brodin Pavilion Friday, and Bushnell, which is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll, comes in on Saturday.
Northwest and Corban are level at 18-18 in their all-time series. The Eagles lead the all-time series with Bushnell, 17-10, though the Beacons swept the 2019 series and have a two-game winning streak.
Northwest requires masks to be properly in place throughout the match following state and Cascade Collegiate Conference regulations.
Corban scored a 3-1 win over Northwest in their last meeting–a 2019 first-round Cascade Collegiate Conference playoff match.
Abigail Broussard had 12 kills and four aces, and
Anna Saelens led the team with 14 assists.
Cristina Lorenz had 15 digs. Sarena Bartley had five blocks, and Jadyn Mullen had 24 assists.
Bushnell won the last meeting, taking a 3-1 victory at home in Eugene, Oregon, just under two years ago.
Abigail Broussard had 10 kills, and
Anna Saelens had 19 assists.
Cristina Lorenz produced 21 digs. Halle Neumann led Bushnell with 15 kills and three blocks. Makenna Northern had 58 assists.
Anna Saelens came up with 56 assists on Tuesday to lift her total for the season to 432 and her average to 9.82. She is 25th in the NAIA and second only to Bushnell's Makenna Northern (9.63). Saelens also has picked good times to go on the attack for herself, earning a team-leading .394 attack percentage.
Abi Broussard and
Megan Horne give the Eagles a strong 1-2 punch at the net. Broussard averages 3.24 kills per set, and
Megan Horne gets 3.12 per set. Broussard has a .268 attack percentage.
Cristina Lorenz has taken on the brunt of the heavy lifting in the back row of the defense. She averages 4.27 digs per set.
Corban comes in at 13-0 overall and 7-0 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Warriors have lost only six sets over those 13 matches, with Westmont and Southern Oregon forcing the fifth set. Rylee Troutman spearheads the offense with 3.64 kills per set. Alyson Reid has been beastly on the blocks, getting 1.34 per set. Kealani Ontai averages 4.18 digs.
Bushnell rolls into Washington this weekend at 9-2 overall and 5-2 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Beacons have lost only to No. 7 Corban and No. 14 Eastern Oregon–both on the road. Shay Coons leads Bushnell with 2.97 kills per set, with Makenna Northern averaging 9.63 assists. Sierra Jenkins averages one block per set, and Callie Wilkins patrols the back row with a 4.47 digs per set average.
