In the first Mountaineer athletic event of the 2009-10 year, the Eastern Oregon University volleyball team swept the EOU alumnus in three games.

“For the most part tonight went very well,” Eastern head coach Kaki McLean said. “We tried a bunch of different combinations. Everybody got to play. It was a good beginning because we got a lot to build on and we know there is a lot of strength there.”

This year's alumni team may have been the one of toughest ever put together.

“The alumni definitely hung in there with us,” McLean said. “It was great to have those guys back. They did very well. They were a very scrappy bunch.

“It was good for us to have some competition. I think that's what we really needed.”

Eastern Oregon held off a feisty group of alumnus in the first game. The EOU alumni team closed within a couple of points late in the game but the Mountaineers won, 25-21.

Game 2 was very similar to the first as Eastern grabbed an early lead and edged its opponents in the end, 25-20.

The alumni team ran out steam and substitutes by the third and final game. EOU cruised to a 25-13 victory.

The Mountaineers have a scrimmage game Tuesday at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton at 6 p.m. But will play their first regular season game Friday morning at nine in the Azusa Pacific University Cougar Classic against Westmont College of California.

The tournament will be played in Azusa, Calif. and EOU will play four matches over two days.
Eastern Oregon's next home game is Sept. 11 against Southern Oregon University at 7 p.m.