ASHLAND, Ore. – No. 1 Eastern Oregon volleyball continued its dominant run through the 2025 season with a statement win over No. 19 Southern Oregon on Friday night, taking down the Raiders in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 25-12).
The victory not only brought EOU to 11-0 on the season, but also served as a bit of redemption after SOU took wins from the Mounties in both the Cascade Collegiate Conference and NAIA postseason tournaments.
The match was as complete as any that Eastern has played this year.
McKenzie Jonas and
Kiauna Mack led the offense with 12 kills each, while
Brooke Womack added nine kills and a match-high 16 digs.
Jaycee Villastrigo chipped in two aces and 10 digs, and setters
Kate Stidham and
Ava Semprimoznik combined for 47 assists. Defensively, Mack was a force at the net with 10 blocks, and
Mylie Mills added seven.
The Mounties hit .267 as a team while holding Southern to a -.096 clip. Both squads had the same number of kills, but EOU's discipline showed, committing just 16 attack errors to SOU's 37. The Mountaineers also dominated the block battle, 17-8.
The tone was set early in the opening set, where a quick 8-2 run fueled by three Mack blocks forced a Raider timeout. The Mounties continued to stretch their lead to 17-9 before Southern clawed back to within four. Out of an Eastern timeout, Mack halted the run with another block and later capped her dominant set with a booming kill off a free ball. Villastrigo closed out the 25-18 win with an ace.
Southern Oregon answered in set two, flipping the energy with a 5-0 run that featured three aces. EOU responded with back-to-back kills from Mack and Jonas to settle in, and eventually pulled back within one on a Mills swing. The set remained tight until a long rally that could have tied the match at 11 fell in SOU's favor, helping the Raiders create just enough momentum. Down by two, a service error on SOU's first set point gave the Mounties a sliver of hope, but the Raiders capitalized on their second chance to hand EOU its first dropped set since August 23.
The Mounties quickly reset in the third, and after trading early points, a big rally sparked by defensive efforts from
Brooklyn Willard and Womack gave EOU an 11-8 lead. Southern then called a timeout, but couldn't slow down Eastern's pace as back-to-back errors would help EOU stretch the lead to 21-14. Womack's late kill made it 24-19, and a Raider net violation gave the Mounties the set.
The fourth set started off close, but EOU methodically pulled away. A Villastrigo ace gave the Mounties an 8-4 advantage, and after Jonas powered a kill to push the lead to 13-9, SOU used its final timeout. Eastern then rattled off a dominant stretch that included an ace from
Madison Vaughn, a kill by Mack, and a Raider miscue to extend the lead to seven. With total control, Stidham delivered a one-handed set to Womack for a kill, Mack slammed her 12th of the night, and
Jule Whitley brought the Mounties to match point. It was then
Keira Vaughn who delivered the final swing to secure the victory.
Up next, Eastern will head to Klamath Falls to visit the Owls of (RV) Oregon Tech. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
