CALDWELL, Idaho – For the second consecutive year, No. 2-ranked Eastern Oregon University Volleyball captured the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship,
presented by U.S. Bank, Saturday afternoon, completing an incredible reverse-sweep comeback to defeat No. 21-ranked Southern Oregon University.
The Raiders pushed the Mountaineers to just their second five-set match of the season while competing in their third consecutive five-set match in as many days. Southern Oregon claimed the first two sets before EOU rallied to win the final three, overcoming the deficit to complete the reverse sweep.
Southern Oregon came out firing, taking control early and hitting an impressive .458 in the opening set to claim a 25-16 victory. The Raiders carried that momentum into the second, using another strong offensive showing to secure a 25-19 win and put the Mountaineers on the brink of defeat.
Facing a two-set deficit, Eastern Oregon regrouped and responded in the third, finding their rhythm and shifting the momentum. Southern opened with a 4-1 advantage, but
Akylah Kaino sparked a response with two kills and a block alongside
Mylie Mills to even the score at 4-4. After trading points, the Mounties strung together a 5-1 run behind Kaino,
Keira Vaughn, and
Jule Whitley to build a three-point advantage. The Raiders managed to pull within one, but Eastern answered with a dominant seven-point run fueled by kills from Kaino and Whitley, blocks from
Brooklyn Willard and Whitley, and service aces from
Ava Semprimoznik. The Mountaineers closed out the set 25-18 to keep their championship hopes alive.
With new life, the Mounties carried their momentum into the fourth, making their presence felt defensively at the net. Eastern recorded seven blocks in the set, disrupting the Raider attack and extending rallies that created opportunities for the offense. Finding greater consistency, the Mountaineers built a 20-15 lead before Southern Oregon battled back to cut the deficit to 23-22. Vaughn delivered a timely kill, followed by a Whitley block, as Eastern closed out the 25-22 set victory to force a decisive fifth frame.
With the championship on the line, the final set delivered a tightly contested finish. A trio of early errors gave Southern Oregon a 3-1 lead, but a Whitley-Vaughn block and kills from Kaino and
Brooke Womack helped Eastern regain control at 6-5. The teams traded points through the middle of the set before the Mountaineers found their separation, putting together a 6-1 run to take a 14-11 advantage. Following a challenge that overturned what appeared to be the championship-clinching point, Eastern stayed composed and finished the comeback with a Vaughn kill to secure the 15-13 victory.
Kaino led the Mountaineer offense with a match-high 19 kills while hitting an impressive .410. Womack added 13 kills and 10 digs to record a double-double, while Vaughn contributed 11 kills. At the net, Whitley turned in a dominant defensive performance with 11 total blocks, including two solo blocks and nine block assists.
Mylie Mills and Vaughn each chipped in six blocks.
Kate Stidham orchestrated the offense with 31 assists and added 13 digs, while
Jaycee Villastrigo led the back row with 14 digs. Semprimoznik contributed 17 assists and two service aces. Eastern Oregon's defensive presence proved decisive, as the Mountaineers finished with 18 total blocks compared to just five for Southern Oregon, overcoming the Raiders' 62-53 advantage in kills.
The Mountaineers completed the reverse sweep with a 3-2 victory (16-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-13), successfully defending their title to become back-to-back CCC Tournament Champions. With the championship, Eastern Oregon also secured the conference's second automatic qualifying berth to the NAIA National Championships.
The Mountaineers now await the NAIA National Championship Selection Show on Monday, November 16, at 2 p.m. PT to learn their postseason destination and opening-round opponent.
