LA GRANDE, Ore. – For the 12th time in program history, No. 1 Eastern Oregon University is set to compete at the final site of the NAIA 46th Annual Volleyball National Championship presented by Marriott South Sioux City Riverfront and Explore Siouxland, hosted in Sioux City, Iowa.

After sweeping Simpson University (Calif.) in the NAIA Opening Round, the Mountaineers (29-2) advanced to the final site as Cascade Collegiate Conference regular-season and tournament champions. All 24 winners of the 48 Opening Round matches moved on to join the field in Sioux City.

Following the Opening Rounds, the advancing teams were placed into eight pools of three based on the selection committee's seeding. As the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, EOU headlines Pool A, joined by No. 16 St. Thomas (Fla.) and No. 24 Huntington (Ind.).

The championship runs December 3-9 at the Tyson Event Center. After pool play concludes on December 5, the top team from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals of the single-elimination bracket beginning December 6.

The Mounties open their national tournament run on December 3 versus Huntington at 10 a.m. CT / 8 a.m. PT, followed by their Pool A finale on December 5 against St. Thomas at 9 a.m. CT / 7 a.m. PT.

FULL SCHEDULE
Pool Play (2 courts)
December 3–5 – 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. (CST)
Tiebreakers played following conclusion of pool play, if necessary – Tie Break Procedures

Bracket Play (1 court)
December 6 – Quarterfinals: 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. (CST)
December 8 – Semifinals: 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (CST)
December 9 – Championship: 7:00 p.m. (CST)

TOURNAMENT LINKS
Live Broadcast | Tickets | Bracket | Merchandise | Travel Information

TALE OF THE TAPE
No. 1 Eastern Oregon
The Mountaineers enter their 12th trip to the final site with a 29-2 record under 19th-year head coach Kaki McLean Morehead, the 2025 CCC Coach of the Year. EOU is one of five Cascade Conference programs in Sioux City and has lost to only one team in the entire 24-team field—No. 5 Corban. However, the Mounties avenged that loss with a sweep in the CCC Tournament Championship, and the earliest the two programs could meet again would be in the national semifinals.

Eastern is undefeated on neutral courts, fueled by a perfect 8-0 preseason that included victories over fellow final-site qualifiers University of Providence, Northwestern (Iowa), and Concordia (Neb.). All three reside on the opposite side of the championship bracket.

Statistically, the Mountaineers outpace opponents 14.0 kills per set to 10.2, and dominate at the net with a 2.7-1.4 blocks-per-set advantage. Keira Vaughn leads with 3.37 kills per set on .320 hitting, and the CCC Player of the Year Kiauna Mack adds 2.93 kills per set and a team-best .384 attack percentage, while averaging a dominant 1.71 blocks per set. Co-Setter of the Year Kate Stidham directs the offense with 6.84 assists per set, while Libero Jaycee Villastrigo anchors the defense with 3.37 digs per set and Madison Vaughn holds a team-high 42 service aces.

In 11 previous appearances at the NAIA Championships, EOU owns a 30-17 overall record. The Mounties look to continue their momentum as they pursue the Red Banner in 2025.

No. 16 St. Thomas
The Bobcats enter their eighth national tournament after a 26-4 season and a 14-1 Sun Conference record. They claimed both the league's regular-season and tournament titles and defeated Loyola (La.) 3-1 in the Opening Round.

STU averages 12.9 kills and 2.3 blocks per set, led by the trio of Raya Mlyakova, Alexandra Bruno, and Tayla Barnes. Coaches Whitney Battoe and Breno Ertty were named Sun Conference Head and Assistant Coaches of the Year, Mlyakova earned the Freshman of the Year honor, and four others received All-Conference recognition.

The Bobcats are 7-17 all-time in NAIA postseason play and have advanced out of the Opening Round in three consecutive seasons. The lone shared opponent between Eastern Oregon and St. Thomas is Corban, who defeated STU 3-1 during preseason action.

No. 24 Huntington
The Foresters are returning to Sioux City for the second time in program history and the first since 1993. They are 25-8 and received an at-large bid after falling in the Crossroads League Tournament quarterfinals to Marian (Ind.).

Huntington is led by Libero of the Year Layla Meyer and All-League selections Haley Kruse, Leah Carter, Maggie Hollon, and Lauren Ross. The squad averages 12.54 kills per set on .185 hitting, and narrowly trails opponents in blocks (1.90 to 1.88 per set).

The Foresters share one opponent with EOU in Taylor (Ind.). Huntington split with the Trojans this season, while Taylor was the first team to take just a set from Eastern Oregon in a 3-1 loss.