LA GRANDE, Ore. - 12th-ranked Mountaineers Volleyball closes out the home portion of its schedule this weekend against two in-state rivals. It is also Senior Weekend and Eastern Oregon will honor four seniors prior to Saturday's game.

OPPONENTS
Southern Oregon Raiders (12-11, 7-11 CCC)
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (18-5, 14-4 CCC)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Quinn Coliseum

WHEN
Friday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. - vs. SOU
Saturday, Oct. 30, 5 p.m. - vs. OIT (Senior Night)

First Serve
• The Mountaineers (21-5, 16-2 CCC) already have a spot clinched in the CCC Tournament and will look to remain in the top two going into the final two weeks of play.
• Eastern Oregon will honor four seniors prior to Saturday's game in Kaci Cox, Breanna Shaffer, Jet Taylor, and Tausha Cummins.
• Following this weekend's games, EOU will wrap up the regular season on the road with two games.

Senior Night/Fright Night
• Saturday's game will be Senior Night and it will also be Fright Night. EOU Athletics is encouraging fans to wear their Halloween costumes for Saturday's game.
• As part of Fright Night, there will be a Halloween themed bingo contest throughout the match, a costume contest at the end of the second set, and giveaways throughout the night.
• The winner of the costume contest will receive a $100 gift card to the EOU Bookstore.
• Fans are encouraged to show up early as EOU will honor four outstanding seniors prior to Saturday's game starting. Being recognized will be Kaci Cox, Breanna Shaffer, Jet Taylor, and Tausha Cummins.

EOU Athletics Spectator Policy
• Spectators will be allowed at EOU sporting events, but masks will be required to be worn correctly (over mouth AND nose) at ALL indoor and outdoor events per state and local policy. This is subject to change at any time.
• Failure to comply with conference or institutional attendance policies will result in removal from venue and any further EOU contests.
• General Admission is allowed for both indoor and outdoor events and is on a first come, first serve basis. To see ticket prices for individual EOU sporting events and to purchase tickets, click here.
• Concessions will be available for outdoor EOU athletic events, but not indoor EOU athletic events.
• Students, faculty, and staff wishing to attend indoor EOU Athletic Events can do so for FREE by showcasing their EOU ID card.

How to Watch/Follow
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.EOUSports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to first serve.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Volleyball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers are currently on a six-game winning streak going into the weekend.
• Eastern has also won each of its last seven games inside Quinn Coliseum.
• Head coach Kaki McLean Morehead is just two wins away from 335 for her career.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers went 3-0 last week at home to improve to 21-5 on the year.
• EOU's first win was a 3-0 sweep over rival College of Idaho. EOU hit .341 in the win and held the Yotes to a measly .150 attack clip.
• Win No. 2 was a 3-1 win over Warner Pacific. The Mounties hit at a .373 attack clip and held the Knights to a .058 hitting percentage in the win.
• The 3-0 week was capped with a 3-0 sweep of Multnomah. EOU hit a season best .393 in the win and kept the Lions at a negative hitting percentage of -.021.

Previously Against Southern Oregon/Oregon Tech
• EOU already defeated OIT and Southern earlier this season with both wins coming in four sets, 3-1.
• Against SOU, the Mountaineers are just 15-18 against the Raiders since 2006. At home, Eastern is 8-6 against the Raiders since 2006.
• Since 2006, Eastern is 24-8 against the Hustlin' Owls and has won each of the last seven matchups. At home, the Mountaineers are 13-1 against OIT since 2006.

EOU in the Polls
• EOU checks in at No. 12 in the fifth edition of the NAIA women's volleyball coaches' top-25 poll.
• In the CCC preseason poll, Eastern was picked to win the conference ahead of Corban and Southern Oregon. The Mountaineers tallied eight first place votes and totaled 140 points.
• The final NAIA Top-25 poll of the regular season will be released Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Three's Company
• Of the Mountaineers' 26 matches so far this season, 15 have ended in straight sets.
• EOU has fared well in three-set matches with a 13-2 record.
• The only 3-0 losses for EOU have come against ranked opponents in Bellevue (Neb.) and Corban.
• In four-set matches this year, EOU is a perfect 7-0 this season.

Home Sweet Home
• Since 2011, EOU has fared well at home in the past decade with a 107-11 record.
• In that span, the Mountaineers have never lost more than two games at home.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, EOU is 139-21 at home.
• The Mountaineers have posted two undefeated seasons at home under Morehead in 2013 and 2016.

Road Warriors
• Dating back to the 2019 regular season, EOU has won 19 of its last 20 matches.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, the Mountaineers are 113-46 in true road contests.
• The Mountaineers 16-game road win streak in the regular season, dating back to 2019, was snapped in the loss to Corban.

Individual Milestones
• Cambree Scott is just 12 blocks away from 500 for her career.
• Jet Taylor is just 10 kills away from 620 for her career.
• Breanna Shaffer needs just 41 digs to reach 400 for her career.
• Alexis McMurtrey needs 172 more assists to reach 1,000 for her career.

Scouting the Competition
Southern Oregon Raiders
• The Raiders enter the weekend one game above .500 at 12-11 overall but are just 7-11 in CCC play. In true road games, SOU is 5-5 this season.
• Offensively, the Raiders average 12.0 kills per set and are hitting .219 on the year. They dish out 11.5 assists per set and have 142 service aces this year.
• Defensively, Southern is giving up 11.3 kills per set and opponents hit just .191 against them. They average 12.8 digs per set and 2.0 blocks per set.
• Hailey Van Well leads the team in kills with 308. She averages 3.62 per set and is hitting .275 on the year.
• Second in kills is Simone Gordon with 197. She hits at a .235 attack clip and averages 2.56 kills per set. 
• Taylor Russell is the team leader in assists with 332. She averages 5.44 per set and is tied for third on the team in service aces with 17.
• Kadyn Jones is the team leader in service aces with 24. She also has 62 assists on the year and leads the way in digs as well. She has tallied 352 total and averages 4.09 per set.
• Sadie Byrd is the team leader in blocks. She has 66 total with 57 be ing assisted. Second in blocks is Hannah Stadstad with 48.

Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls
• IT owns a 18-5 record on the year and is 14-4 in CCC play. Like EOU, the Hustlin' Owls are locked into the CCC Tournament and in true road games this year they are 7-3. 
• Offensively, OIT is hitting .228 on the year and averages 11.5 kills per set. They average 10.4 assists per set and have racked up 178 service aces.
• Defensively, OIT is allowing opponents to hit just .126 on the year. They allow 109.2 kills per set and average 14.0 digs per set along with 1.5 blocks per frame.
• Nicole Reyes is the leader in kills with 221. She hits .223 and averages 2.95 kills per set. She  also has 16 service aces this year.
• Kaylin Talonen is second in kills with 212. She averages 2.72 and is hitting .232. She is fourth on the team in blocks at 15.
• Faith Houck-Wylie is third in hitting at 198 kills and hit at a .256 attack clip. She averages 2.41 kills per set and is second in total blocks with 49.
• Courtney Isom is the floor general with 505 total assists and averages 6.23 per frame. She also has 23 service aces on the year. 
• Lindsey Sampson leads the way in service aces with 47.
• Up front, Kate Hicks is the leader in blocks. She has 50 total on the year and 14 have been on a solo effort.
• Ashley Ripplinger is third in blocking with 48. She is the team leader in solo blocks with 16.
• Aubrey Kievit leads the back row with 339 digs this season and averages 4.08 per set. She is tied for second in service aces with 26.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will hit the road to wrap up regular season play next weekend. They will take on Northwest University Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. followed by Evergreen State College on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.

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