LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 8 EOU volleyball team collected its seventh-straight sweep of the 2016 campaign, as the Mountaineers tallied 11 blocks en route to toppling the Yotes, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-19), on Thursday night at Quinn Coliseum.
 
EOU (8-1, 1-0 CCC) has now won five of the last seven meetings vs. College of Idaho (5-4, 0-1 CCC), and 10th-year head coach Kaki McLean Morehead earned her second sweep over the I-84 rival since taking over the helm.
 
Junior hitter Madisen Garlie, who leads the conference in hitting percentage, swung .571 for nine kills to go along with six blocks (two solo). Senior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma added five kills and five block assists, while freshman hitter Megan Bunn and junior outside hitter Amanda Miller added eight and seven kills, respectively. Sophomore libero Holli Mullins collected 13 digs in the back row, and senior setter Rachelle Chamberlain dished out 32 assists.
 
College of Idaho didn't care about EOU's ruckus crowd, as the Yotes jumped to an early 4-0 advantage in the first set. EOU charged right back, logging 12 of the next 16 to snag a four-point (12-8) advantage after a kill by Miller. Up 18-17, Garlie hammered down a pair to launch a 5-0 burst, and EOU rode that advantage to a 25-19 set-one victory.
 
Set two saw the Yotes crawl to a 6-5 lead before the Blue and Gold netted four-straight, capped by a solo rejection from Garlie. EOU stretched its advantage to seven (18-11) after a kill by Tuma, and although College of Idaho fired back with four straight, Bunn sent one into the hardwood and then teamed up with Garlie for the block assist to ignite a 7-1 run to close the frame.
 
The third stanza was tight early on, featuring six ties in the early going. At 11 all, Lindburg drilled one down and then Chamberlain and Garlie sided for the assisted rejection to spark a 4-1 run to give EOU a three-point (15-12) lead. Brenna Meehan and the Yotes refused to go away, ultimately tying the match at 19 apiece. But Garlie and the Mountaineers were just as tough, booking six-straight points to cap the match.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
8 – Straight wins for EOU, including seven-straight sweeps.
9 – Kills for Garlie, tying match-high honors with College of Idaho's Meehan.
32 – Assists for Chamberlain,
11 – Team blocks for the Blue and Gold.
 
UP NEXT
EOU returns to the hardwood on Tuesday at Walla Walla. First serve in College Place, Wash., is scheduled for 6 p.m.