LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Athletics enters another busy week as fall sports approach the postseason, with soccer preparing for conference tournament play, cross country competing for conference titles, and volleyball closing out the regular season. Football will wrap up its road conference schedule, while winter sports continue to build momentum with men's basketball and wrestling back in action.
Thursday, November 5
(RV) Women's Basketball will host an exhibition matchup against Whitman College inside Quinn Coliseum at 6 p.m. PT.
Friday, November 6
No. 16 Men's and No. 15 Women's Cross Country will travel to Lewiston, Idaho, for the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships. The men will kick off the day with the 8K race at 10 a.m. PT, followed by the women's 6K at 11 a.m. PT.
No. 15 Men's Basketball will continue preseason action in New Town, North Dakota, opening two days of competition at the Bismarck State Classic against Dickinson State at 3 p.m. CT. The Mountaineers enter the weekend 1-0 after a commanding 97-67 win over (RV) Embry-Riddle. The Blue Hawks are 1-2, most recently earning an 80-79 victory over Midland University following losses to Doane University and Bethany College. EOU swept last season's series against Dickinson State, winning 87-70 and 91-78.
No. 2 Volleyball will hit the road for the final stretch of the regular season, traveling to Walla Walla, Washington, to face the Wolves at 2 p.m. PT. The Mountaineers enter the matchup at 27-2 overall and 16-2 in CCC play, having secured a spot in the CCC Tournament while continuing to battle for the regular-season title. EOU is coming off its second loss of the season, a three-set defeat to No. 5 College of Idaho, before bouncing back with a 3-0 sweep of Warner Pacific. Walla Walla sits at 5-15 overall and 5-13 in conference play after consecutive 0-3 losses to Bushnell and No. 6 Corban. In their earlier meeting this season, the Mountaineers swept the Wolves in straight sets, winning 25-9, 25-14 and 25-19.
Saturday, November 7
Football will close out its road conference schedule with a trip to Redding, California, to face Simpson University at 1 p.m. PT. The Mountaineers (6-2, 3-1) enter the contest following a 31-17 victory over Montana Western, highlighted by standout performances from
Chase Nelson and
Nehemiah Medrano, who earned Frontier Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively. Simpson (3-5, 1-3) returns from a bye week after previously falling to Montana Western, 47-28. EOU dominated last season's meeting, shutting out the Red Hawks 34-0.
Women's Soccer will open postseason play as the No. 4 seed in the CCC Tournament, taking on No. 5 seed Northwest University at 1 p.m. PT. The Mountaineers and Eagles met in the regular-season finale, with EOU earning a 1-0 victory on a penalty kick from
Peyton Jacaway. The Mounties will look to carry that momentum into the conference tournament as they begin their postseason run.
Men's Basketball will continue its North Dakota trip with a matchup against tournament host Bismarck State at 3:15 p.m. CT. The Mystics (0-2) are coming off an exhibition against Boise State, where they fell 104-37, after opening the preseason with losses to Our Lady of the Lake and Texas A&M University–San Antonio. Saturday's contest will mark the first meeting between EOU and Bismarck State.
(RV) Men's Wrestling will make its home debut Saturday, hosting the Mountaineer Duals in the EOU Fieldhouse. The eight-team event begins at 11 a.m. PT, with the Mountaineers scheduled to compete at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. EOU will face Arizona Christian and Clackamas Community College as it looks to build on a strong season-opening performance at the Simpson Duals, where the Mountaineers went 3-1 in team duals and recorded a combined 31-9 mark in individual matches.
Volleyball will wrap up its regular-season road schedule in Lewiston, Idaho, against No. 20 Lewis-Clark State College at 4 p.m. PT. The Warriors (18-6, 9-1) enter the weekend following losses to No. 6 Corban, 2-3, and Bushnell, 1-3. LCSC has secured its place in the CCC Tournament and will continue competing for a higher seed, with the No. 4 position still in reach. The matchup will serve as EOU's final regular-season contest before the conference tournament.
Men's Soccer will close out Saturday's action in Medford, Oregon, opening CCC Tournament play in a quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 seed College of Idaho. The Mountaineers enter as the No. 4 seed, setting up another postseason meeting with the Yotes. EOU claimed a 2-1 victory over College of Idaho during the regular season, thanks to a late strike from
Davyd Fedina, and will look to repeat that result to advance in the tournament.
Sunday, November 8
Men's Wrestling will close out the weekend by hosting the Mountaineer Open in the EOU Fieldhouse. Competition begins at 9 a.m. PT, bringing another day of wrestling to La Grande as the Mountaineers continue their early-season campaign.
With conference championships and postseason opportunities on the line, the Mounties are gearing up for a pivotal weekend across multiple sports.
