OLYMPIA, Wash. – A dropped set to Evergreen was all the No. 7 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team needed to catch fire, as the Mountaineers hit .483 in the fourth stanza to take down the Geoducks, 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 26-28, 25-9), on Friday night.
"There are a lot of things that we could have done better tonight," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "With that in mind, we are going to really focus on those things and make them better for tomorrow. We played much more clean in the fourth set. I'm glad they responded that way."
Key Performances
Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller led the way once again for the Navy and Gold, as she swung in for 16 kills. Meanwhile, sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay hit .381 and tallied nine kills for EOU.
Three players recorded double-figure digs for the Mountaineers, with senior libero Piper Cantrell pacing the back row with 19 digs. A pair of junior defensive specialists in Sara Pulaski and Tylo Colflesh collected 15 and 10 digs, respectively.
Junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain dished out 45 assists and had three denials on the evening.
The Storyline
The Mountaineers opened the first frame on a 9-4 run capped by a kill from junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma. Evergreen pulled to within four (11-7), but then sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus and junior outside hitter Sierra Linke combined for five kills amidst a 9-2 rally to give EOU its first double-digit lead of the match, 19-9. Chamberlain found Miller for the kill to lift the Navy and Gold to set point (24-17), and then Statkus swooped in for the final kill of the stanza.
EOU got all it could handle in the second frame, as Evergreen scooted to a 12-9 advantage. Chamberlain's swat found the Geoduck hardwood to tie the set at 14 apiece, and with the frame knotted at 15, EOU mustered three quick points to snatch a three-point lead, forcing Evergreen to call a timeout. The Geoducks clawed their way back into the set, cutting the Mountaineers' lead to one on a pair of occasions, but Statkus hammered one down to put Evergreen to rest, 25-23.
Once again, Evergreen found a way to stay in the match thanks to the aggressive swinging of Natalie Taylor. The two squads traded several points in the early stages of the third set, as the stanza featured 10 ties until EOU utilized a 7-3 run to snatch a 17-13 advantage. Evergreen bounced back to take a 23-21 lead, and although the Navy and Gold fought off two set points, the Geoducks survived for the 28-26 third-set triumph.
The fourth frame was a different story, let alone a different Mountaineer team. EOU attacked for a .483 clip while holding the Geoducks (3-16, 3-11 CCC) to only seven kills in the set. A solo rejection by Tuma capped a 14-3 run to open the stanza, and EOU never looked back.
Stat of the Match
69 – Digs by EOU, a season-high in CCC play.
Up Next
The Navy and Gold (19-1, 14-0 CCC) will square off against Northwest tomorrow at 5 p.m. in Kirkland, Wash., at 5 p.m. To watch live video for the match, click here.
