LA GRANDE, Ore. - No. 14 Eastern Oregon University Volleyball closes out a five-game road swing this weekend with a pair of games against two in-state foes.

OPPONENTS
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (9-3, 5-2 CCC)
Southern Oregon Raiders (7-5, 2-5 CCC)

WHERE
Klamath Falls, Ore. - Danny Miles Court (OIT)
Ashland, Ore. - Lithia Motors Pavilion (SOU)

WHEN
Friday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m. - vs. OIT
Saturday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. - vs. SOU

First Serve
• The Mountaineers wrap up a five game road trip this weekend by heading to the southeast end of the state.
• Eastern Oregon is currently 6-1 in the month of September with all seven contests coming in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
• The Mountaineers are coming off another 2-0 weekend as they picked up two wins in Portland over Multnomah and Warner Pacific.
• Following the five-game road swing, EOU will be home for two games to start in October before hitting the road once again for four-straight matches.

How to Watch/Follow
• This weekend's matches can be found online on the Mountie Sports Network by going to www.eousports.com/watch. Livestream coverage will begin 15 prior to both matches.
• Live stats coverage for both matches is available on the volleyball schedule page and can be accessed by clicking the link above or going to www.eousports.com/livestats. 

Story Lines
• Eastern is currently on a five-game win streak with all five victories coming in straight sets.
• The Mountaineers are also currently on a three-game road win streak. 
• With last weekend's wins, EOU has won each of its last 14 road matches.
• Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead is just two wins away from reaching 325 for her career.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers had a pair of dominant wins this past weekend sweeping Multnomah and Warner Pacific on the road to improve to 11-4 overall and 6-1 in CCC action.
• Against the Lions, EOU hit .382 which was a then season high and racked up 39 kills. Cambree Scott led the offense with 13 kills , while Jet Taylor racked up five blocks.
• The next night, the Mounties ran past the Knights, 3-0, and hit a season best .388 in the sweep. EOU had 41 kills led by Breanna Shaffer with nine. Cambree Scott tallied eight blocks in the win as well.

Previously Against Oregon Tech/Southern Oregon
• Last year, EOU took down OIT twice in a pair of four set wins. The last time EOU played in Klamath falls, the team defeated OIT 4-1. 
• The Mountaineers and Raiders last played against each other back in 2019 as SOU opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. In 2019, Southern went 2-1 against EOU.
• Since 2006, Eastern is 23-8 against the Hustlin' Owls and has won each of the last seven matchups. On the road, EOU is 8-6 against the Hustlin' Owls.
• Against SOU, the Mountaineers are just 14-18 against the Raiders since 2006. EOU last defeated Southern back in late September of 2019.

EOU in the Polls
• EOU checks in at No. 14 in the third 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 next set of NAIA top-25 rankings will be released next Wednesday, Sept. 29.

Three's Company
• Of the Mountaineers' 15 matches so far this season, 12 have ended in straight sets.
• EOU has fared well in three-set matches with a 10-2 record, including a current five-game win streak.
• The only 3-0 losses for EOU have come against ranked opponents in Bellevue (Neb.) and Corban.

Home Sweet Home
• Since 2011, EOU has fared well at home in the past decade with a 102-11 record.
• In that span, the Mountaineers have never lost more than two games at home.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, EOU is 134-21 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 each of its last 14 matches.
• Under the direction of Kaki McLean Morehead, the Mountaineers are 108-45 in true road contests.
• In the Mountaineers current 14-game road win streak, eight have ended in straight sets.

Scouting the Competition
Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls
• OIT enters the weekend with a 9-3 overall record and is 5-2 in conference play. The Owls suffered their first conference losses this past weekend, falling to Bushnell and Corban in straight sets.
• On their home court, OIT is a perfect 4-0 and is also undefeated in neutral site matches at 3-0. On the road, OIT has gone 2-3. 
• Offensively, the Owls are hitting an average of .209 per match and are at an even 11.0 kills per set. They dish out 10.2 assists per set and have racked up 87 service aces on the year.
• Defensively, opponents are hitting at just a .108 clip against OIT. Teams average just 9.6 kills against the Owls and are met by an average of 1.5 blocks per set from OIT.
• Faith Houck-Wylie leads the offense with 99 kills this year and averages 2.41 per set. She is hitting .240 in 41 sets played.
• Nicole Reyes is the second leading hitter with 96 kills this season. She hits .205 on average and puts up a team best 2.82 kills per set.
• Kaylin Talonen is tied for second in total kills with 96 as well and hits .209 on the year. She puts up 2.67 kills per set.
• Leading the way in service aces is Lindsey Sampson with 20 on the year. Brooke Cassidy is second at 14, followed by Aubrey Kievit with 13.
• Courtney Isom is the floor general with 208 total assists and averaged 5.20 per set. She is also fourth on the team in service aces with 12. 
• Kate Hicks is the defensive leader up front with 29.0 total blocks this year. She averages 0.71 per set and has had seven solo blocks this season.
• Houck-Wylie is second in total blocks at 26.0 for an average of 0.63 per set. Also at 26.0 blocks is Ashley Rippinger, who is the leader in solo blocks with 11.
• Kievit leads the back row defense for OIT with 153 digs this year. Seh averages 3.73 per set and has a reception percentage of .932.

Southern Oregon Raiders
• The Raiders are two games above .500 at 7-5 overall, but have struggled in CCC play at 2-5. They are currently on a five-game losing streak going into the weekend.
• SOU last picked up a win in early September over Walla Walla back on Sept. 4. In their five-game skid, three matches have ended in sweeps.
• On offense, Southern hits .238 and is averaging 11.6 kills per set. They average 11.2 assists per set and have tallied 85 service aces. 
• On defense, the Raiders are holding opponents to a .181 hitting percentage and 10.8 kills per set. SOU is averaging 1.9 blocks per set to go along with 11.3 digs per set.
• Hailey Van Well leads the hitters with 149 kills and averages 3.63 per set. She is hitting at a .295 clip going in the weekend.
• Simone Gordon is second in kills at 83 total followed by Hannah Stadstad with 82. Stadstad is the top percentage hitter at .326 and averages 1.95 kills per set.
• Two Raiders have over 150 assists each in Gwen Sheldon and Hannah Randall. Sheldon leads the way at 198 total and averages 5.08 per set. Randall has 153 assists and averages 4.50 per set.
• Sheldon and Randall are also 1-2 in service aces. Sheldon has a team best 16 on the year followed by Randall with 15. Karina Oliveira and Van well are tied for third at 11, respectively.
• Sadie Byrd is the defensive leader up front with 39.0 total blocks this year and averages 1.08 per set. She has 33 block assists and six solo blocks.
• Taylor Jackson is second in total blocks at 26.0 and averages just under 1.0 per set at 0.93. Gordon also has 20+ blocks this year at 23.0
• Kadyn Jones is the team leader in digs at 159 for an average of 3.79 per set. In second is Oliveira with 108 total and she averages 2.57 per set. 

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will return home to Quinn Coliseum for a pair of games to start the month of October. EOU takes on Evergreen State College on Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. before facing Northwest University on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.

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