Box Score BOX SCORE
CALDWELL, Idaho – The Eastern Oregon University volleyball team began its 2012 season with a four-set setback to No. 10 Vanguard (Calif.), in Match 1 of The College of Idaho Classic.
Carly Maxwell finished with 39 of Vanguard's 45 assists. The Lions (1-0) were also led by Ashli Bellinger's and Jessica Neves' combined 22 kills. Kelly Heenan had 18 digs, and Grace Konstanzer and Bellinger both added 11 digs.
The opening set featured seven lead changes and 12 ties, with the Mountaineers pulling out the 25-22 victory. EOU led by as many as three points, three different times; while Vanguard's largest advantage was two points.
Casey Loper and
Alisha Crane both had five kills for Eastern, and
Rebecca Haight and
Kaitlyn Duncan both had five digs.
Vanguard won another back-and-forth second set, 25-20. Set two had four lead changes and seven ties. The Lions led by as many as five points during the set, and Eastern Oregon's largest lead was one.
After having above 50 percent attack percentage in the first two sets, the Mountaineers (0-1) fell below 50 percent in the third set at 45 percent. An ace by Carla Cantarella gave the Lions their largest lead of the set at 23-15. The set was tied only once, and EOU never had a lead.
In the fourth and final set, Eastern took a 2-0 lead, before Vanguard went on a 9-1 run. The Lions would not surrender the lead. Vanguard stretched the margin to 16-5 after and EOU attack error. Eastern Oregon would close the set scoring five of the final seven points, but it was VU that won 25-18.
In her first match as a Mountaineer,
Karly Stack finished with a team-high 21 assists.
Bobbi Sumpter added 12 assists. Duncan ended with 20 digs, while Haight and
Taylor Stewart had 14 and 11. Loper and Crane both had nine kills.
The Mountaineers opened the 2012 season just as they did in 2011. Eastern Oregon and Vanguard met at the Azusa Pacific Cougar Classic last year, and after falling behind two sets to none to begin the match, EOU rallied to win the next two sets, but fell in the fifth set. Eastern has dropped five of its last six season opening matches, with the lone win coming in 2009 in a four-set win over Westmont (Calif.).
Eastern continues in The College of Idaho Classic at 2 p.m. Pacific Time, against No. 8 Lewis-Clark State. Live video and stats will be available on EOUSports.com.
