LA GRANDE, Ore. –  History will show that the No. 7 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team has Evergreen's number. Saturday evening didn't look any different, as the Mountaineers swept (25-15, 25-14, 25-22) Evergreen for the 20th-straight meeting between the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) teams.

"It was a great day to be a Mountie," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "We have been working on some specific offensive options in practice, and I'm proud of how the girls put that to work this weekend."

Key Performances

Sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay paved the way with a match-high 14 kills, a career-high for the Nampa, Idaho, native in a three-set match.

Compiling double-figure kills for the second-straight affair, sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miler tallied 11 kills on a .318 hitting percentage, while junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain amassed 31 assists for the Navy and Gold.

Senior libero Piper Cantrell led EOU's defensive effort with 10 digs, while junior defensive specialist Sara Pulaksi and Chamerlain chipped in eight digs apiece. 

The Storyline

The first stanza was fairly close early on until EOU exploded with eight unanswered points to take a commanding 22-10 lead. Nay accounted for three kills in the rally. After Miller swung in for a kill to lift the Navy and Gold to set point (24-13), the Geoducks scored two-straight points before surrendering the set via a service error.

No doubt the least competitive set of the match, the second frame was all EOU, as the Mountaineers attacked for a .500 clip – the team's best hitting percentage in a single set this season. After a kill by sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus lifted EOU to set point (24-13), the two teams exchanged service errors to give the Mountaineers a two-set lead.

Evergreen (2-10, 2-7 CCC) didn't bow down quietly in the third frame, as the Geoducks opened the set with a 7-4 run. EOU eventually managed to tie the set at 13 apiece thanks to a kill by freshman outside hitter Karlee Hollis, but Evergreen responded to score five of the next eight to snatch an 18-16 advantage.

With the frame knotted at 21 all, junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma attacked for the kill to give EOU the lead for good, and then Nay eventually swung in for the final two kills of the match to grant the Mountaineers their fifth-straight three-set victory.

Stat of the Match

5 – Service aces by EOU, tying a season-high for the squad in a three-set match.

Up Next

The Navy and Gold (11-1, 6-0 CCC) hits the road for its next match on Sept. 25 against Warner Pacific in Portland, Ore., at 7 p.m.