LA GRANDE, Ore. - No. 12 eastern Oregon Volleyball begins postseason play this weekend as the team gets ready to go for the 2021 CCC Tournament. The Mountaineers earned a bye to the semifinal round as the no. 2 seed and will look to punch their ticket to the championship match.

OPPONENT
No. 25 (3) Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (23-5, 18-4 CCC)

WHERE
Salem, Ore. - C.E. Jeffers Sports Center (Corban Hosts)

WHEN
Friday, Nov. 12, 3:30 p.m. PT - Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 13, 3 p.m. PT - Championships

First Serve
• The Mountaineers (24-6, 19-3 CCC) closed out regular season play with a 2-0 road trip, sweeping both Northwest and Evergreen State.
• As the No. 2 seed, EOU avoided having to play in the first round of the CCC Tournament and will now face No. 3-seeded and 25th-ranked Oregon Tech.
• This year's CCC Tournament is hosted by Corban University, who was the regular season champion and earned one the two automatic qualifiers to the NAIA National Tournament.
• The Mountaineers match against the Hustlin' Owls will be the second against this in the last three weeks.

Corban University Spectator Policy
• All fans must abide by the safety measures related to facial coverings and social distancing mentioned below. Corban University reserves the right to ask any spectator to leave if he or she fails to abide by campus safety measures.
• Facial Coverings and Social Distancing: As per campus policy and local guidelines, Corban University encourages all fans to maintain social distancing while attending Warrior events.  
• The use of facial coverings is mandated by the State of Oregon and the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) for all indoor competitions.
• In order to ensure the safest possible environment, all commonly used areas within the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center will be sanitized before and after home events.

How to Watch/Follow
• This weekend's games can be found at www.EOUSports.com/watch. Livestreams for both games will begin 15 minutes prior to first serve. All games at the CCC Tournament are Pay-Per-View at a price of $7.95. There is no tournament pass available for purchase.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Volleyball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

All CCC-Mountaineers
• The CCC announced its 2021 All-Conference Teams early Thursday morning and the Mountaineers were well with five selections.
• For EOU, Cambree Scott, Breanna Shaffer, and Sade Williams were all named First Team All-CCC. Garnering Second Team All-CCC honors was Jet Taylor, while Hailey Arritola was named Honorable Mention All-CCC.

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers will look to win just their second CCC Tournament Title in program history.
• Eastern will also look to secure a berth to the NAIA National Tournament for the eighth year in a row.
• The Mountaineers are currently 5-3 in neutral site contests this season.
• EOU's match-up against Oregon Tech will be their sixth against a nationally ranked opponent this season.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU wrapped up regular season play with a pair of 3-0 road sweeps over Northwest and Evergreen State College, respectively.
• At Northwest, EOU hit just .190 in the win but held the Eagles to a .034 attack clip. Cambree Scott paced the Mountaineers with nine kills, while Jet Taylor added seven blocks.
• At Evergreen State, the Mounties hit .278 and had nine service aces in the win. Hailey Arritola accounted for five of them while Scott and Sade Williams each had nine kills.

Previously Against Oregon Tech
• The Mountaineers and HUstlin' Owls split their two matches this year, 1-1, with each team winning on the other's home court.
• Since 2006, Eastern is 24-9 against the Hustlin' Owls and has won seven of the last eight match-ups.

EOU in the Polls
• EOU remains at No. 12 in the final regular season 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 2021 will be released Monday, Dec. 6.

Three's Company
• Of the Mountaineers' 30 matches so far this season, 18 have ended in straight sets.
• EOU has fared well in three-set matches with a 16-2 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 7-1 with the lone loss coming against OIT.

Home Sweet Home
• Since 2011, EOU has fared well at home in the past decade with a 108-12 record.
• In that span, the Mountaineers have never lost more than two games at home.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, EOU is 140-22 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 21 of its last 22 matches.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, the Mountaineers are 115-46 in true road contests.
• The Mountaineers are currently on a five-game win streak in true road matches this year.

Scouting the Competition
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls
• OIT will enter the semifinals with a 23-5 overall record following a four-set win over Lewis-Clark State College in the CCC quarterfinals.
• The Hustlin' Owls are hitting .232 going into the weekend and average 11.8 kills per set. They dish out 10.8 assists per set and have racked up 213 service aces this season.
• Defensively, OIT is holding opponents to a .130 attack clip and allows 10.2 kills per set. They average 14.2 digs per set and 1.6 blocks per set.
• First Team All-CCC player Faith Houck-Wylie will lead the way up front. She has 50 block assists and is third on the team in kills at 249.
• Also looking to make an impact will be First Team All-CCC hitter Nicole Reyes. She is second in kills at 271 and averages 2.88 per set.
• Top hitter and Second Team All-CCC player Kaylin Talonen is leading the way in kills with 288 and averages .2.97per set while hitting .251.
• In the back row, Honorable Mention All-CCC defensive specialist Aubrey Kievit leads the way with 438 total digs and averages 4.29 per set. 
• Lindsey Sampson still leads the team in service aces and has 57 going into the weekend. 
• Kate Hicks will also look to anchor the defense up front as she leads the way in total blocks with 66. She and Ashley Ripplinger are tied for the lead in solo blocks with 20.

Up Next
• Should EOU be victorious against OIT, the team will advance to the CCC Championship match and face the winner of No. 1 Corban vs. No. 4 Bushnell on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. PT.
• If Corban makes the Championship match, then the team they face will automatically receive the other qualifying nod to the NAIA National Tournament.

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