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2018 Volleyball Seniors
Jordan Meyer
3
Winner College of Idaho CI 20-7, 15-4 CCC
2
Eastern Oregon EOU 22-6, 17-6 CCC
Winner
College of Idaho CI
20-7, 15-4 CCC
3
Final
2
Eastern Oregon EOU
22-6, 17-6 CCC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
College of Idaho CI 16 20 25 25 16 (3)
Eastern Oregon EOU 25 25 22 22 14 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Isabelle Statkus, Sports Information Assistant

No. 12 EOU Loses Heartbreaking 5-Set Thriller to No. 15 C of I

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 12 Eastern Oregon volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to No. 15 College of Idaho (20-7, 15-4 CCC) in five sets (25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 14-16) on Senior Night, Friday at Quinn Coliseum.

With the loss, the Mountaineers are 22-6 overall and 17-3 in conference to end the regular season. However, the Mountaineers clinched at least a share of their fourth Cascade Collegiate Conference title overall and in the last five years with a loss by Southern Oregon. The Raiders hold a 16-3 CCC record and have one more match on Saturday at Northwest Christian.

Under head coach Kaki McLean Morehead, the EOU volleyball team has become a powerhouse. Over the last five seasons the team has posted a record of 85-13 in conference matches, winning at least a share of four of the last five titles while finishing with 15 or more wins.

Playing their final home match of the regular season, the Blue and Gold fought after their initial two set wins, but a strong College of Idaho team took advantage of the momentum and came out victorious by taking the final three sets.

For the Mountaineer's, junior outside hitter Megan Bunn recorded a team high of 15 kills, while her counterpart junior outside hitter Hailee Ackerman had 13 kills. In addition, both right side hitters Taylor Tibbetts and Holli Mullins had 12 and 10 kills, respectively. In the back row, sophomore Kiley McMurtrey had 22 digs on defense while Megan Bunn also tallied 22 digs giving her a double-double on the night. For the Mountaineers, the team high in assists came from senior setter Sarah Carpenter who had a solid 25 assists while sophomore setter Madison Pilon had 21.
 
The night started with a tribute to the team's seniors in Holli Mullins and Sarah Carpenter, while sophomore Kiley McMurtrey, who also played her final regular season contest at Quinn Coliseum, was honored as well.
 
The first two sets were controlled entirely by the Mountaineers. Hitting over .200 in both sets, the Blue and Gold kept the Yotes to under .200 with most of their offense hitting in the negative. In the first set, the Mountaineers were on a mission, making very few errors early on forcing C of I to work for every point.  After five consecutive kills by the Mounties from Ackerman, Scott, and Tibbetts, the score was set at 16-11. The lead stayed with the Mountaineers throughout the rest of the match and the 25th point came from a kill by Mullins.
 
The second set was also controlled by the EOU, although C of I tied it up several times throughout. Leading at 9-4 from kills by Ackerman and Tibbetts, the Blue and Gold started to create more space between them and the Yotes. With some key first ball kills by the Mountaineer offense, the score now reflected their efforts at 18-14. Keeping up their strong play, they ended the match handily at 25-20.
 
The third set started off the with a six-point run by the Mountaineers as they worked for the sweep over the Yotes. It wasn't until C of I tied the score at 8-8 and then again at 13-13 that it looked like the Yotes might still have some fight in them. They began to gain momentum through two kills by Ashley Pagan making the score 17-15. C of I then took control of the set, eventually winning 25-22 to force a fourth.
 
The fourth set was crucial for the match as each team had an opportunity to claim it. The Yotes tied the set score up at 2-2 by capitalizing on EOU errors and pushing Jackie Van Vliet in the middle, Pagan on the outside, and right side Taylor Alexander. Their combined 14 kills in the fourth set overpowered the Mountaineers, forcing a decisive fifth set.   
 
The fifth set was a true thriller as both teams refused to lose. The constant back and forth of the score created tension that put pressure on both teams. The score tied 12 different times all the way until 14-14 before a kill by Pagan and Alexander gave the Yotes the comeback victory.
 
For the Yotes, Pagan had a very strong night with 28 kills while Alexander posted 21 kills. The combined 49 kills were a deciding factor for the effectiveness of the C of I offense. On defense, Pagan also had the team high of 24 digs while libero Drew Dobney had 20 digs. Marija Djonovic was dynamic with 55 assists on the night.
 
 Eastern Oregon will have a few days off before the conference tournament starts on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. The Mounties will be either the first or second seed going into the single-elimination six team tournament, earning at least a first round bye. The final two rounds will either be held in Ashland or La Grande, dependent on Saturday's results between Southern Oregon and Northwest Christian. The No. 1-seed will not only host the tourney, but earn the conference's first automatic bid to nationals. 

For more information on Eastern Oregon volleyball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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