SALEM, Ore. – The No. 8 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team learned on Friday night that nothing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) is going to come easy, as the Mountaineers had to overcome deficits in each set to complete the sweep (25-23, 25-21, 25-21) over Corban.
The Mountaineers have now won 19-straight sets against the Warriors.
"It's always nice to get a win on the road," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "But with a huge crowd tonight, I was impressed with how composed our girls played and when the game was on the line, delivered in ways they needed to against a scrappy Corban team."
Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller led the way with 12 kills with four errors on 30 attempts for a .267 hitting percentage, while sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay and junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma chipped in nine and eight kills, respectively.
EOU's front line was all over the place defensively, as Tuma tallied a career-high nine blocks (8 assists, 1 solo), while Nay and junior outside hitter Sierra Linke recorded six block assists apiece.
Although Corban outhit EOU, 39-38, the Mountaineers had 10 fewer attack errors than the Warriors.
To watch match highlights, click the 'Play' button in the photo above.
The Storyline
In set one, the Mountaineers crawled to a 10-7 lead after junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain received a pass from senior libero Piper Cantrell and attacked for a kill. However, that would be EOU's largest lead of the frame, as Corban battled back to score 14 of the next 23 points to snag a 21-19 lead.
Trailing 22-20, EOU hung tough and scooted to set point (24-23) thanks to kills by Miller, Linke, and sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus, and an attack error by Corban. With the stanza on the line, the Warriors coughed up a bad set to surrender the frame to EOU, 25-23.
EOU scored the first three points of the second set thanks to a pair of kills by Miller and a block assist by Chamberlain and Nay. But the Mountaineers' lead didn't last long, as Corban took over with a 12-2 run to go up by seven (12-5).
Corban proceeded to commit five offensive miscues, and EOU responded with kills by Miller, Statkus, Chamberlain, and Tuma to claim only its second lead (15-14) of the set. The two CCC foes played a seesaw battle until the Mountaineers found themselves deadlocked with the Warriors at 19 apiece. But persistence paid off for EOU, as the Navy and Gold closed the set with a 6-2 burst capped by an ace by junior defensive specialist Sara Pulaski.
Once again, the Warriors (2-7, 0-2 CCC) utilized the energy from a noisy student section to claim an early four-point (7-3) advantage. Tuma and Linke swung in for kills to help EOU keep pace, but Corban continued to have an answer. Trailing 13-9, a kill by Miller sparked a furious 9-1 rally capped by a kill by Nay to snatch an 18-14 lead.
Corban fought back to tie the frame at 18 apiece, but Nay once again rose to the occasion with a kill to put EOU back on top. A Mountaineer attack error yielded a point to tie the set at 21 all, but then EOU showed why it's one of the best blocking teams in the country, as Tuma came up with a huge solo block to grant the Navy and Gold a 22-21 lead.
Then, following a Corban attack error, Tuma tagged up with Chamberlain for the block assist to lift EOU to match point (24-21). Looking to put Corban away for good, Chamberlain found Miller for the final kill to seal the three-set victory for EOU.
Stat of the Match
29 – Total blocks (28 assists, 1 solo) by EOU, a new season high for the Navy and Gold.
Up Next
EOU (8-1, 3-0 CCC) caps its two-match road swing tomorrow in Eugene, Ore., against Northwest Christian at 5 p.m. To follow live stats, click here.
