LA GRANDE, Ore. – Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller registered a career-high for kills in a three-set match, and the No. 6 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team battled past Montana Western in straight sets (25-22, 25-12, 29-27) on Saturday afternoon.
Miller swung in for 16 kills and chipped in three block assists for the Mountaineers, while junior right side hitter Kasaundra Tuma collected 10 kills and four blocks (3 assists, 1 solo).
"This weekend was a good kickoff to the season," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "We got to see a few different matchups for us which really is what preseason is all about."
EOU enjoyed a small advantage for much of the first frame until Montana Western claimed a 19-18 lead following a ball handing error by the Mountaineers. Sophomore outside hitter Malia Mills served up an ace to give EOU a two-point lead (23-21), and following a Miller kill, Montana Western surrendered the final point of the set via an attack error.
In set two, Miller tallied four of the first 10 EOU kills to aid a 10-4 Mountaineer run to open the frame. Junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain found freshman middle hitter Olivia Starks for the kill to grant EOU its first double-digit lead (20-10) of the match, and the Mountaineers' final five points of the set came from four Bulldog miscues and a kill by senior outside hitter Kendra De Hoog.
In the third stanza, the two squads were neck-and-neck until Montana Western used a mini-run to snag an 11-7 lead. The Mountaineers eventually tied the set at 14 apiece following a Tuma kill, but the Bulldogs continued to have an answer and responded with four-straight points to regain the lead.
Trailing 24-20, EOU found itself in risk of dropping the set, but the Mountaineers rallied to tie the frame at 24 apiece after a Miller kill, a pair of Bulldog attack errors, and a service ace by junior defensive specialist Tylo Colflesh.
Tuma attacked for a kill to lift EOU to match point, and then Chamberlain connected with De Hoog for the kill to grant the Mountaineers their second-straight victory.
"I'm really happy with how they played, especially after a short amount of practice time," said McLean. "It was a great experience, and we appreciate all of the teams that participated."
Junior outside hitter Bailey Wilson paced the Bulldogs (1-2) with 10 kills and eight digs, while freshman libero Dylan Fowler chipped in 15 digs.
As a team, EOU (2-0) hit .265 and logged 44 kills on the afternoon, while Montana Western swatted .109 with 34 kills. The Mountaineers had 18 blocks compared to just six by the Bulldogs.
EOU returns to action on Aug. 28-29 for the Big Sky Invitational. The Mountaineers will battle (RV) Carroll College on Aug. 28 in Helena, Mont., at 8 a.m. PST.
Oregon Tech def. Montana Western, 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 16-14)
The early match of the day saw a career-high 27 kills by Oregon Tech's Kelsey Sampson, as the Owls defeated Montana Western and collected its second-straight five-set victory.
The tightly contested match included 29 ties and 14 lead changes. In the fifth frame, the Bulldogs fended off a pair of match points by the Owls, but Kristen DePaoli notched one of her 23 kills to seal the victory for Oregon Tech.
In addition to her 27 kills, Sampson collected 13 digs for the Owls. Meanwhile, Cady Siemon paced the Bulldogs with 21 kills and seven digs.
MSU-Northern def. Northwest, 3-2 (19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 24-26, 15-10)
Quinn Coliseum played host to the third five-set match of the EOU Invitational, as MSU-Northern used a gritty effort in the fifth set to collect its first victory of the season.
Although the fifth set was tight early on, the Skylights used a 5-1 to get themselves some breathing room and hold off the Eagles.
Both Cydney Auzenne and Cassie Krueger recorded 15 kills apiece for the Skylights, while Dakota Adams tallied 10 kills and five blocks for Northwest.
MSU-Northern def. Corban, 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-22)
In the final match of the EOU Invitational, Northern raced to an early lead in the first two sets en route to its second-consecutive win of the season.
Things didn't get interesting until the third frame, as Corban achieved its greatest lead (15-12) of the match after a Skylight attack error. Northern responded with an 8-2 run to take command of the set, and the Skylights held on for the three-set victory.
Korrie Stephensen booked eight kills, three service aces, and a trio of block assists for Northern, while Amber Parker directed Corban's effort with 11 kills.
