LEWISTON, Idaho – The No. 3-ranked Mountaineer volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Lewis-Clark State on Saturday afternoon at the P1FCU Activity Center.
Eastern Oregon showcased its resilience after dropping the first set 23-25. The Mountaineers rebounded to take the next three sets, including a dominant 25-11 performance in the third set, hitting .345 as a team. Keira Vaughn and Kiauna Mack were key offensive contributors, each posting 13 kills. Mack was particularly efficient, hitting .500 with four block assists.
Emma Burlingame led all players with 15 kills, while Ashton Bales added 12 kills and four blocks. Setter Alexis McMurtrey orchestrated the attack with 32 assists and chipped in three service aces and eight digs. The Mountaineers hit .266 as a team, totaling 66 kills and 16 blocks over the match.
Defensively, libero Hailey Arritola anchored the backline with a match-high 21 digs, while Olivia Wegner contributed 12 digs of her own.
For Lewis-Clark State, Juliauna Forgach Aguilar led with 11 kills but struggled with efficiency, committing 10 errors on 55 attempts. Taylor Boyce added 12 kills, while setter Abbey Neff dished out 15 assists. The Warriors hit .115 as a team and were unable to sustain their early momentum.
Match Stats:
- EOU (Kills-Errors-Attempts): 66-24-158 (.266)
- Lewis-Clark State (Kills-Errors-Attempts): 39-22-148 (.115)
- EOU Leaders: Emma Burlingame (15 kills), Kiauna Mack (13 kills, .500 hitting percentage), Hailey Arritola (21 digs), Alexis McMurtrey (32 assists, 3 aces)
- Lewis-Clark State Leaders: Juliauna Forgach Aguilar (11 kills), Taylor Boyce (12 kills), Abbey Neff (15 assists)
With the win, the Mountaineers improved to 18-1 overall and 10-1 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play, while the Warriors dropped to 10-7 overall and 7-5 in the CCC. Eastern Oregon returns home next weekend for Homecoming, where they will face Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon at Quinn Coliseum.
