KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – No. 1 Eastern Oregon volleyball passed its toughest test of the season on Saturday night, outlasting (RV) Oregon Tech in a five-set battle, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-10. The win keeps the Mountaineers undefeated at 12-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
The two teams were evenly matched statistically, with EOU hitting .160 percent to OIT's .145. The Mounties held a 64-53 edge in kills—one of the few notable gaps in a tightly contested match.
Keira Vaughn led with 16 kills, followed by
Kiauna Mack with 14 and
Emma Burlingame with nine. Mack also added eight blocks, while Burlingame and
Mylie Mills each had four.
Brooke Womack,
Jaycee Villastrigo, and Mills tallied two aces apiece.
Kate Stidham dished out 34 assists, and Villastrigo anchored the back row with 23 digs.
Eastern came out firing in the first set, jumping to a 12-4 lead behind eight early kills. OIT answered with a short run, but EOU stayed in control as
McKenzie Jonas capped the set with a kill and the Owls sealed it with a service error.
Set two saw Eastern grab a 10-5 advantage after a six-point burst, only for OIT to rally and take a late lead. A Mountie comeback tied it at 20, but the Owls closed it out to even the match.
Eastern responded in the third, opening on a 4-0 run and stretching the lead to 14-8 after Mills delivered back-to-back aces. Mack and Burlingame delivered the finishing blows to take the set, 25-18.
The Mounties appeared poised to finish it in four, leading 21-16, but Oregon Tech stormed back with a late run. An ace gave the Owls set point, and a block sent the match to a fifth.
Both teams traded points to start the final frame, but a momentum-shifting rally put Eastern ahead. Burlingame landed three kills after the side switch, and although OIT staved off one match point, an attack error on the next secured the win for EOU.
Tonight marked the Mounties' first five-set match since the NAIA Quarterfinals last December, and it served as a reminder of their resilience down the stretch.
Eastern returns home next weekend to face Bushnell University on Friday and No. 4 Corban University on Saturday.
