CALDWELL, Idaho - The sour taste left from last season's Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament semifinal loss to College of Idaho may feel a little sweeter now, as the No. 6 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team took care of the No. 14 Yotes in four sets (25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 25-20) on Thursday night.
"For our first conference game of the season, I was impressed with how hungry we were," said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "It's always great to get a win on the road, but especially against a tough College of Idaho team."
The Storyline
Sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus tallied 12 kills to go along with nine blocks (1 solo, 8 assists) – one shy of tying her career high. Meanwhile, both sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay and sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller registered 13 kills apiece to lead the Mountaineers.
Defensively, both senior libero Piper Cantrell and junior defensive specialist Tylo Colflesh booked double-figure digs with 22 and 16, respectively.
The opening frame between the two top-25 foes was neck-and-neck early on, featuring six ties in the early going. After the Yotes scooted to a 9-6 advantage, Nay and Miller tallied two kills apiece amidst an 8-2 run that put the Mountaineers on top, 14-11. EOU kept its lead and even extended it to seven (23-16) after a kill by Statkus, and at set point (24-19), junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain found senior outside hitter Kendra De Hoog for the final kill to give the Mountaineers a one-frame advantage.
EOU led for most of the second set until the Mountaineers committed an attack error to yield the Yotes a one-point lead (21-20). After College of Idaho extended its advantage to two (23-21) thanks to an EOU ball handling error, Nay swung in for back-to-back kills to knot the set, and then the Yotes coughed up an attack error to lift the Mountaineers to set point. With the frame tied at 24 apiece, Nay attacked for a kill, and then the Yotes committed another attack error to place EOU just one set away from logging its fourth three-set triumph of the season.
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the Yotes refused to go down without a fight, as EOU hit only .100 and saw a trio of service aces by College of Idaho to falter in the third frame, 25-22.
The fourth stanza saw EOU crawl to a three-point lead (12-9) following a kill by Nay. A kill by junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma extended the Mountaineers' advantage to four (17-13), but the Yotes (2-7) continued to hang around and stayed within five points or less for the remainder of the match.
Leading 23-20, Miller attacked for a kill to lift EOU to match point, and then Chamberlain found Tuma for the kill to grant the Mountaineers their first CCC victory of the season.
Stat of the Game
28 – Blocks by EOU in the match – a season-high for the Mountaineers
Rivalry Continues
EOU improved to 5-6 vs. College of Idaho since the 2011 campaign.
Road Warriors
The Mountaineers are now 3-1 on the road vs. squads either receiving votes or ranked in the top 25.
Up Next
EOU (6-1) returns home on Tuesday to face Walla Walla at 7 p.m.
