KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University's No. 2-ranked Volleyball restarted their win streak Friday night with a dominant 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-20, 25-16) over Oregon Tech, claiming sole possession of first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings.
Oregon Tech opened the match with a 3-0 run, but the Mountaineers quickly responded behind kills from
Akylah Kaino and back-to-back service aces from
Sidney Friesen to take control. EOU built a seven-point advantage, fueled by timely kills from
Keira Vaughn and
Jule Whitley. The Owls rallied with a four-point run to cut the deficit to three, but the teams traded points down the stretch before a late block from
Kate Stidham and Whitley sealed the 25-19 opening-set victory.
The Mountaineers faced another early deficit in the second set but responded with strong serving and blocking to build a 7-3 lead. Oregon Tech battled back to pull within one at 15-14, but EOU regained momentum with key kills from Kaino and errors by the Owls. Kaino, Whitley, and Womack helped push the Mountaineers to a 24-17 advantage. Oregon Tech fought off three consecutive set points before Womack delivered the decisive kill, securing a 25-20 win and putting EOU one set away from the sweep.
Eastern Oregon carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead before extending the advantage to 10-7 behind kills from Vaughn, Kaino, and
Brooklyn Willard. Oregon Tech rallied to tie the set at 10-10, but the Mountaineers responded with a three-point run before breaking the set open with six straight points. A pair of blocks from Willard and Whitley, combined with kills from Kaino, Vaughn, and Whitley, fueled the run and gave EOU a commanding 19-12 lead. The teams traded points the rest of the way, but the Mountaineers remained in control, closing out the set 25-16 to complete the sweep.
Vaughn led all hitters with 13 kills while hitting .357, followed by Kaino with 11 kills at a .296 clip. Whitley anchored the net defense with five blocks, while Willard added three.
The Mountaineers will continue their road trip Saturday evening against No. 24 Southern Oregon. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.
