Box Score CALDWELL, Idaho – No.2 -ranked and seeded Eastern Oregon Volleyball earned redemption Friday afternoon, taking down No. 6-ranked and No. 3-seeded Corban University in straight sets in the semifinal round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank.
After Corban handed the Mountaineers their first loss of the season in their final regular-season meeting, snapping EOU's 23-match winning streak, Eastern Oregon responded with a dominant performance, sweeping the Warriors 25-17, 25-9, 26-24 to secure their spot in the championship match.
Eastern Oregon came out strong in the opening set, jumping to an early 6-3 lead behind kills from
Mylie Mills and a
Kate Stidham-
Jule Whitley block. Whitley continued to make her presence felt on both sides of the net, while
Keira Vaughn and
Brooke Womack helped extend the Mounties' advantage to 10-6.
After trading points through the middle of the set, Corban trimmed the deficit to one behind Emma Bischoff. The Mountaineers quickly answered, however, putting together a 7-1 run sparked by Vaughn and supported by Whitley and Womack to take a commanding 21-13 lead. Eastern closed out the set by claiming four of the final seven points, with a Corban service error sealing the 25-17 victory.
The Mounties carried that momentum into the second set, using multiple Warrior attack errors and a Mills-
Akylah Kaino block to jump ahead 5-1. Eastern continued to build its lead with a seven-point run fueled by long rallies, kills from Womack, and a
Brooklyn Willard-Whitley block, pushing the advantage to 12-2. Corban managed to string together seven points of their own, but the Mountaineers remained firmly in control. Sidney Frisen closed the set in emphatic fashion, recording two service aces before delivering another tough serve that forced a free ball back to EOU. Mills capitalized, putting away the final attack into the open court to complete the 25-9 set victory.
With their tournament run on the line, Corban showed greater resistance in the third set, pushing the Mountaineers into a back-and-forth battle beyond the 25-point mark. The Warriors opened with a 4-1 advantage behind Kendra Bittle and Bischoff, but Eastern quickly regrouped with four consecutive points to reclaim the lead, highlighted by Womack's presence at the net. Womack continued to attack effectively, while Whitley and Vaughn contributed to a 10-6 Mountaineer advantage.
Eastern extended their lead to 20-14 before Corban mounted a late comeback, rattling off six straight points behind Lauryn Copeland to even the set at 20-20. The teams traded the lead twice more, setting up a tense finish. Mills and Womack delivered when it mattered most, combining for a decisive block and kill to close out the set 26-24 and send the Mountaineers to the CCC Championship for the ninth consecutive season.
Brooke Womack led the way for the Mounties with 19 kills and 12 digs, while
Keira Vaughn followed with 13 kills.
Jule Whitley led the defensive effort at the net with four total blocks, while adding six kills.
Eastern Oregon will now face No. 21-ranked and No. 4-seeded Southern Oregon University for the tournament championship inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The Mountaineers swept the Raiders in both regular-season meetings this year, earning a 3-0 home victory (25-13, 25-20, 25-19) before completing another straight-set sweep on the road (25-21, 25-13, 25-16). Southern Oregon advanced to the championship with a five-set victory over No. 5-seeded Lewis-Clark State in Thursday's quarterfinals before taking down No. 1-seeded College of Idaho in another five-set battle Friday evening.
The Mountaineers will look to defend their CCC Tournament crown Saturday at 3 p.m. MT.
