CALDWELL, Idaho – Eastern Oregon No. 2 Volleyball battled throughout Wednesday night's matchup against No. 5 College of Idaho but came up short in a 3-0 loss (16-25, 23-25, 25-27). The Mountaineers pushed the Yotes in the final two sets but couldn't complete the comeback.
The Mountaineers struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the opening set, staying within reach early as the teams traded points. After EOU tied the score at 10-10, College of Idaho put together a three-point run to take control. The Mounties continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 17-16, but the Yotes closed the set with eight consecutive points to secure a 25-16 win.
Eastern Oregon responded with a stronger effort in the second set. After falling behind 8-3 early, the Mountaineers rallied to erase the deficit and tie the score at 11-11 behind kills from
Mylie Mills,
Keira Vaughn, and
Akylah Kaino. The teams continued to trade momentum, with EOU taking a two-point lead on kills from Vaughn and
Brooklyn Willard, along with a block from Willard and Mills. The Mountaineers stayed within striking distance down the stretch, tying the set at 23-23. College of Idaho, however, claimed the final two points to take the set 25-23 and build a two-set advantage.
Facing a sweep, EOU delivered its strongest push in the third set. After falling behind early, the Mountaineers regained control to take a 5-4 lead before extending their advantage to 12-8 behind kills from Vaughn and
Brooke Womack. The Yotes fought back to pull within one at 18-17, but blocks and kills from Womack, Whitley, and Willard helped spark a run that put EOU ahead 24-20. College of Idaho responded with five consecutive points behind Kelsy Stanger. Vaughn delivered a clutch kill to even the score at 25-25, but the Yotes secured the final two points to close out the set 27-25 and hand Eastern Oregon their first three-set loss of the season.
Vaughn led the Mountaineers with 14 kills, while Womack added 10 kills, 13 digs, and two service aces.
Kate Stidham recorded 18 assists, and
Jaycee Villastrigo contributed 16 digs. As a team, Eastern Oregon hit .193 in the match.
The Mountaineers will close out their home schedule this Saturday when they host Warner Pacific at 4:30 p.m. PT, with a senior class recognition ceremony prior to the first serve. EOU will then hit the road for their final two regular-season matchups next week.
