LA GRANDE, Ore. – No. 2 Eastern Oregon University volleyball clinched its fourth straight Cascade Collegiate Conference regular-season title on Sunday afternoon, sweeping (RV) Walla Walla 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 inside Quinn Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (26-2, 18-2 CCC) secured the outright crown and the No. 1 seed in next week's CCC Championship Tournament, which they'll host in La Grande. With the victory, EOU also punched its ticket to the NAIA National Tournament, earning the conference's first automatic bid.
Coming off Saturday night's sweep, the Mounties showed no signs of slowing down, hitting .337 as a team while holding the Wolves to just .152. Eastern once again controlled every facet of the match from start to finish.
Keira Vaughn led the way with 14 kills on .323 hitting, while
Kiauna Mack continued her dominant weekend with 11 kills at a .474 clip to go along with her match-high five blocks.
Emma Burlingame also added five kills (.400 pct) and
McKenzie Jonas chipped in four more.
Setters
Kate Stidham and
Ava Semprimoznik guided the attack with 20 and 12 assists, respectively, while
Brooke Womack anchored the defense with 14 digs and three blocks. Libero
Jaycee Villastrigo also reached double figures with 10 digs.
The Mountaineers finished with a 56-49 edge in total points, highlighted by nine blocks and seven service aces. Their efficiency and depth proved too much for the visiting Wolves, who were led by Sahara Browning's 18 kills.
With the win, EOU closes out another historic regular season and turns its attention to the postseason. The Mountaineers will host the CCC Championship Tournament and receive a bye into Friday's semifinal round, as they look to capture their fourth conference tournament title.
