BOX SCORE
NAMPA, Idaho – The Eastern Oregon University volleyball team had its five-match win streak end Tuesday with a four-set loss at Northwest Nazarene University.
The Mountaineers (14-8, 12-1 Cascade Collegiate Conference) led 24-20 in Game 4, before NNU scored seven of the next nine points for the win. NCAA Div. 2 opponent, Northwest Nazarene, won its fifth-straight match and eight of the last nine matches.
The Crusaders improved to 6-1 at home this season, and defeated previously ranked No. 19 Seattle Pacific University last week on the road. NNU (12-5, 8-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) currently sit in fourth place in the GNAC standings.
Kaitlyn Tuholski led Northwest Nazarene with 17 kills, 20 assists, and 11 digs. Reisa Fessler added 14 kills, while Becky Flores had 11. Michelle Terpstra finished with a team-high 28 assists, and chipped in 12 digs. Kailey Trautmann contributed 18 digs. Taylor Robers and Laticia Lehman each had 12 digs.
In set one, NNU opened a 9-8 margin to 16-10, then 18-12. The Mountaineers rallied to even the first game at 21. The set tied at 22 and 23, but the Crusaders scored the 24th and 25th points.
Eastern began Game 2 with an 8-3 lead and stretched its advantage to 17-10. Northwest Nazarene would close the gap to 20-18, but came no closer. EOU finished the set scoring five of the final eight points.
After scoring the first two points of the third game, the Mountaineers never had the lead again. The Crusaders held a slim advantage over EOU throughout the entirety of the set. NNU led 24-20 before Eastern came within 24-23. But, Northwest Nazarene would close the set with the 25th point.
The fourth game was a battle that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. The teams shared points back-and-forth tying all the way until 11. The Mountaineers turned an 11-11 score to a 20-13 advantage. NNU went on a 5-0 run, before Eastern took a 24-20 lead. Northwest Nazarene went on another 4-0 run to tie the game at 24. The Crusaders finished the match scoring three of the final four points.
Jessica Lea finished with 11 kills, 25 assists, and 14 digs.
Rebecca Haight led EOU with 19 kills and added 13 digs.
Emily Sampson equaled the match-high of 28 assists.
Kaitlyn Duncan, the recent school career record breaker in digs, finished with 20.
The Mountaineers finished with a .228 hitting percentage, while Northwest Nazarene was at .194. Eastern entered the match 13-0 when it had a higher percentage than its opponent. EOU drops to 0-6 this season when losing set one.
Despite the setback, Eastern Oregon still plays for the conference lead Friday night in Caldwell, Idaho at 7 Mountain Time. The Mountaineers battle their rival, The College of Idaho, for the top spot in the CCC standings. The No. 6 Yotes (18-1, 15-0) have won 34 consecutive matches over EOU dating back to Oct. 8, 1996.
The College of Idaho has won 15 straight matches entering the match. The Yotes ride a 38-match home win streak, four shy of the school record. The C of I has won 80 of their last 81 home matches overall, including a 59-match CCC home win streak, dating back to 2005.
A live video stream from the J.A. Albertson Center will be available at the start of the match at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The video and live stats will be on EOUSports.com. A live interactive blog will also be available for fans to make comments or ask questions to a moderator during the match beginning at 5:45 p.m. Pacific Time.
