LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 7 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team rebounded from a third-set defeat with authority, as the Mountaineers hit .357 in the fourth stanza to take down Oregon Tech, 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 18-25, 25-9), on Friday night at Quinn Coliseum.

"I'm proud of how our girls stayed focused on the task at hand tonight," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "After losing to a tough OIT team in the third set, we came out strong in the fourth and responded well. It was nice to play in front of a great home crowd tonight. We are excited for the same tomorrow!"

Key Performances
Junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma led the way with her first-career double-double, as she registered 10 kills and a career-high 10 blocks (2 solo, 8 assists).

Notching her fifth double-double of the season, junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain came up with key plays when EOU needed it most, tallying 37 assists and 10 digs. She also had six kills on the evening.

Diving left and right, senior libero Piper Cantrell collected 22 digs for EOU, while sophomore outside hitter Malia Mills served up three aces.

The Storyline
The early stages of set one saw three ties before EOU put together a 12-6 run to take an 18-12 lead capped by one of Mills' three service aces. OIT, however, managed to crawl back into the set, as freshman outside hitter Bailey Nelson and sophomore outside hitter Kristin DePaoli combined for four kills amidst an 8-3 rally to cut EOU's lead to one (21-20).

But the Mountaineers hung tough, closing the set on a 4-0 run to take the stanza. A pair of Owl attack errors lifted the Navy and Gold to set point (24-20), and then Tuma teamed up with junior outside hitter Sierra Linke for the block assist to close the set.

After OIT (10-5, 5-4 CCC) leaped to a 12-9 advantage in the second set, a sneaky kill by Chamberlain ignited an 8-0 run by EOU. Leading 22-20, the Mountaineers recorded three-straight points to snag the frame, as a service ace by junior defensive specialist Sara Pulaski gave the Navy and Gold another 25-20 set win.

In the third set, the Mountaineers saw their worst hitting percentage of the season, hitting negative .147 en route to dropping the frame, 25-18. A kill by Linke gave EOU an 8-7 lead, but that's about as good as it would get in the third frame for the Navy and Gold, as the Owls closed the set with an 18-10 burst to stay in the match.

Set four saw an EOU team on a mission and a squad that Navy and Gold fans had grown to love this season. A kill by Tuma and an ace by Chamberlain capped an 8-1 run to start the set, and the Mountaineers never looked back.

After another ace by Chamberlain gave EOU a 22-9 advantage, Tuma became the Owls' worst nightmare on the frontline, as she rose high for three-straight blocks (1 solo, 2 assists) to seal EOU's four-set victory and the team's 10th-straight triumph.

Stat of the Match
10 – Blocks by Tuma, a career high for the Damascus, Ore., native.

Up Next
EOU (14-1, 9-0 CCC) returns to the hardwood tomorrow for a showdown vs. No. 8 Southern Oregon in La Grande at 5 p.m.