LA GRANDE, Ore. - Conference play is finally here for 14th-ranked Mountaineers Volleyball who begins a four-game homestand. Eastern Oregon is also on its home floor for the first time this season as the team plays host to a pair of in-state foes this weekend.

OPPONENTS
Bushnell Beacons (4-0)
No. 7 Corban Warriors (6-0)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Quinn Coliseum

WHEN
Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m. - vs. Bushnell
Saturday, Sept. 4, 5 p.m. - vs. Corban

First Serve
• Eastern Oregon will play on its home court for the first time this season as they begin Cascade Collegiate Conference play against a pair of undefeated teams.
• The Mountaineers finished the non-conference portion of their schedule at 5-3. All five of the team's wins this season have come in straight sets.
• After playing short handed in the first eight matches of the season, EOU is expected to be back at full strength this weekend in its home opener.
• Eastern suffered just two losses during the 2020 campaign but has already surpassed its total this season with three losses.

EOU Athletics Spectator Policy
• Spectators will be allowed at 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
• Fans can catch all the Mountaineers' home volleyball matches on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. Trevor Curl will be on the call this season for play-by-play commentary. Pregame for all home matches begins 15 minutes prior to first serve.
• All 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.
• Live stats for this weekend's matches can be found at www.eousports.com/livestats. 

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers will play their first set of matches at full strength after playing the first eight games of the season short handed.
• Eastern will begin conference play with its first four matches all being at home inside Quinn Coliseum.
• This weekend, EOU will battle another ranked opponent in No. 7 Corban University. Bushnell is also garnering national attention as a team that is receiving votes.
• Both the beacons and Warriors are undefeated at a 10-0. Corban has played in just one match that has gone to five sets, while Bushnell has played no more than four sets in a match.
• The Mountaineers have played more matches than both squads at eight. In the Mountaineers five wins, they have yet to go past three sets.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU had its best outing of the season going 3-1 at the C of I/Eastern Oregon Fall Classic last weekend. 
• All three wins for the Mountaineers in Caldwell were in straight sets. The lone loss for the Mountaineers was a five-set thriller against No. 5 Dordt University.
• The Mountaineer straight victories came against Montana Western, Carroll College, and the Master's.

CCC Player of the Week
• Cambree Scott was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts on the front row that led EOU to a 3-1 weekend.
• She racked up 41 kills, averaged 2.93 kills per set and hit .257 on offense. Defensively, she tallied 22 blocks ,averaged 1.57 per set, and had 14 digs.
• Against Dordt, Scott set a career high in kills with 16 to garner her first Player of the Week honor of the season.

Previously Against Bushnell/Corban
• The Mountaineers and Beacons squared off three times last season and EOU was the victor in all three. Eastern won all three matchups in straight sets with the third win coming in the semifinal round of the CCC Tournament.
• EOU took on Corban three times in the modified 2020 season and won the series at 2-1. The Mounties two wins came in five set thrillers at Corban, while the Warriors lone win was in the CCC Tournament Championship.
• Since 2009, EOU is 24-2 against Bushnell and has won each of the last 18 matches, with 15 of those wins being in sweeping fashion. Since 2006, the Mountaineers are 27-6 against the Warriors.

EOU in the Polls
• In the first NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top-25 poll, the Mountaineers fell eight spots from No. 6 to No. 14 after starting the year 2-2. This is the first time they are ranked outside the top-10 since the end of the 2019 season when they finished at No. 13.
• 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.

Top-25 Opponents
• Going into this weekend, EOU has already faced four ranked opponents in the regular season compared to just one from last year. Saturday's matchup vs. Corvan will be the fifth ranked match for Eastern.
• The Mountaineers are just 1-3 so far this year against ranked opposition. The Mountaineers lone win was against then No. 8 Grand View in the season opener. 
• In two of the three matches against ranked opponents, EOU has gone to five sets.

Winning in Sweeping Fashion
• All five of EOU's wins this season have been in straight sets and the team has been swept just once this year.
• Dating back to the 2020 season, The Mountaineers have played in 29 matches and 18 of them have been won in sweeping fashion.
• The last time EOU won a match that went more than three sets was back on April 2, 2021 against Lewis-Clark State. The Mountaineers defeated the Warriors 3-1 on their home court.

Individual Milestones
• Sade Williams is 12 kills away from eclipsing 100 for the 2021 season. 
• Hailey Arritola is 34 digs away from reaching 200 for her career.
• Madison Morgan is 21 kills away from reaching 150 for career.
• Hannah Ledgerwood needs 16 more assists to reach 100 for her career.

Scouting the Competition
Bushnell Beacons
• The Beacons come to La Grande with a 4-0 overall record after playing at the William Jessup Invite back in late August. Of the four wins, the final three were done in straight sets.
• In the CCC preseason coaches' poll, Bushnell was picked to finish fourth in 2021. The team tallied 103 points and was two away from tying for third with Southern Oregon.
• Early on, the Beacons are averaging a .215 hitting percentage and 11.2 kills per set. They've tallied 40 service aces to go along with 140 assists. They averaged 10.8 assists per set.
• Defensively, Bushnell has racked up 21.0 total blocks this season and averaged 1.6 per set. They have tallied 157 digs in four matches played and average 12.1 per set.
• Jessica Northcutt leads the way on offense early on with 33 total kills and is averaging 3.30 per set. She's hitting .3768 in two starts and four matches played.
• Shay Coon has also made an impact with 26 kills in four matches. She is averaging 2.60 kills per set and is hitting .171 on the season. 
• Halle Neumann has been a two-way threat with 21 kills and six blocks in four matches played. She is averaging 1.75 kills per set and 0.50 blocks per set.
• Payton Jones is second on the team in total blocks with 8.0 and is averaging 0.62 per set. On offense she has 18 kills and is hitting .308 in four starts this season.
• Makenna Northern is facilitating the offense with a team best 114 assists and averages 8.77 per set. She also has three service aces and seven kills this year.
• Matelyn Ladd paces the front row defense with a team high 10.0 blocks and is averaging 0.77 per set. She has alo racked up 17 kills and is hitting .371 in four starts.
• Callie Wilkins leads the back row with 52 digs thi season and averages an even 4.0 per set. She is also tied for the team lead in service aces with nine.

No. 7 Corban Warriors
• The Warriors enter the weekend with a perfect 6-0 record and are currently ranked No. 7 in the NAIA top-25 rankings. Of their six wins, four have come in straight sets.
• Offensively, Corban is hitting .244 as a team and averages 12.7 kills per set. They've tallied 241 assists (11.5 per set) and racked up 44 service aces in six wins.
• On defense, the Warriors have posted 39.0 total kills and average just under 2.0 per set at 1.90. They have 351 digs on the year for an average of 16.7 per set.
• Rylee Troutman leads the offense in six starts at 82 total kills. She averages 3.90 per set and is hitting .277 this season. She is also second on the team in service aces with 10.
• Avari Ridgway is second in total kills with 62 and averages 2.95 per set on a .238 hitting percentage. She is also second in total blocks with 12.0 for an average of 0.57 per set.
• Allyson Reid leads the front row with 21.0 total blocks and is averaging 1.00 per set. She has chipped in 20 kills as well.
• Ally Tow is third on the team in kills with 42. She hits .170 on the year and averages an even 2.0 kills per set.
• Jadyn Mullen already has 120 assists this year to lead Corban and averages 5.71 per set. She is also the team leader in service aces with 12. 
• Keatani Ontai is the Warriors' leader in digs with 101. She averages 4.81 per set and has also racked up five service aces.

Up Next
• EOU will close out its four-game homestand next weekend as CCC play continues on. The Mountaineers will host Walla Walla on Friday, Sept. 10 with first serve set for 2 p.m. PT. The following day, Saturday, Sept. 11 Eastern battles LC State with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. PT.

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