LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 9 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team overcame a sloppy first-set defeat with authority, as the Mountaineers hammered down 45 kills in the final three frames to take down Northwest, 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-12), and advance to the 2015 CCC Championship. 

"I'm proud of how they bounced back from the first set and took control of the match," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "It was a great crowd tonight in Quinn Coliseum. I am excited that we get to play in front of them again tomorrow"

Key Performances
Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller (12), junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma (11), and sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay (10) each tallied double-figure kills for EOU, while junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain added 48 assists, seven kills, and eight digs.

Amanda Waterman paced the Eagles with 10 kills and 14 digs.

The Storyline
The Mountaineers hit their worst percentage (.070) of the night in the first set and coughed up 11 attack errors to drop the opening frame, 25-19. A block assist by Nay and sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus got EOU within one (17-16), but Northwest responded with an 8-3 run to close the set.

EOU recorded a match-best 18 kills in the second set to claim a 25-19 win. After the Eagles took a 16-15 lead, Tuma and Miller chipped in two kills apiece, and then the Eagles committed an attack error to give EOU a 20-16 advantage. Kills by Statkus and Chamberlain lifted the Navy and Gold to set point (24-19), and then Nay hammered one into the hardwood to even the match.

Although Northwest (20-10, 14-6 CCC) edged EOU in the third set by three kills, the Eagles coughed up 10 attack errors to the let frame slip away. A service ace by freshman middle hitter Karlee Hollis gave the Mountaineers their largest lead of the set (20-12), and EOU maintained at least a three-point lead for the remainder of the stanza to take control of the match.

In the fourth frame, EOU raced to an early 8-3 lead thanks to six kills, an Eagle attack error, and a block assist from Nay and Hollis. A Miller kill stretched EOU's lead to 12 (20-8), and the Eagles never recovered. A steady offensive dose of Nay, Miller, Tuma, and Hollis carried the Mountaineers to a 25-12 fourth-set triumph.

Stats of the Match
70 – Digs by EOU compared to just 47 by Northwest.
2 – Aces allowed by the Mountaineers; the Navy and Gold yielded 14 in its loss to Northwest on Oct. 17.  

Up Next
EOU (24-3, 18-2) returns to the hardwood tomorrow in the CCC Championship against No. 25 College of Idaho at 4 p.m.