LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon University volleyball team returned to the win column Saturday night with a dominant 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-15, 25-13) of Bushnell University in front of a Homecoming crowd filled with alumni and family. The victory also saw
Keira Vaughn make history, breaking EOU's all-time career kills record.
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the opening set, with
Akylah Kaino recording the first kill. Vaughn followed with a kill of her own, securing her place atop the EOU record books with her 1,392nd career kill. Bushnell responded with a run led by Amyah Semau to take a brief 4-3 advantage, but Eastern quickly regained control. A 5-0 run featuring kills from Kaino and blocks from
Brooke Womack,
Mylie Mills, and Kaino put the Mounties ahead 9-4. Eastern continued to build its lead, using a four-point run fueled by kills from Mills, Vaughn, and Womack to move ahead 20-10. The Beacons attempted a late rally, but an attack error ended the set at 25-17 in favor of EOU.
Eastern carried its momentum into the second set, building an early 5-3 lead before Bushnell capitalized on Mountaineer errors to move ahead 8-6. The Mounties responded with a strong stretch at the net, as Vaughn, Womack, and
Jule Whitley helped fuel a run that gave Eastern a 17-10 advantage. Kills from Mills, Womack, and Kaino, combined with Beacon errors, helped the Mountaineers close out the set 25-15 and take a 2-0 match lead.
The Mountaineers continued their strong play in the third set, opening with a 5-0 run behind the two-way efforts of Vaughn and Mills. Although the teams traded points through the middle of the set, Eastern maintained control and continued to extend its advantage with short scoring runs. The Mounties closed the set with a 5-1 run to secure a 25-13 victory and complete the 3-0 sweep.
Vaughn led all hitters with 13 kills while hitting .345, followed by Womack with 11 kills on .333 hitting.
Kate Stidham orchestrated the offense with 42 assists, while
Jaycee Villastrigo anchored the back row with 15 digs and Mills led the defensive effort at the net with six blocks. As a team, Eastern Oregon hit .330 while limiting Bushnell to a .029 hitting percentage.
With the win, the Mountaineers improve to 24-1 overall and 13-1 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play. Eastern Oregon returns to the road next Friday, Oct. 23, to face the Oregon Tech Owls.
