LEBANON, Tenn. – The Eastern Oregon University No. 2 Volleyball team opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion Friday at the Phoenix Classic, sweeping (RV) Columbia International University, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-16), before defeating Fisk University, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-18), at the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.
Game 1- EOU v. (RV) Columbia International
The Mounties battled through a competitive opening set before taking control at 13-13. An ace followed by back-to-back kills from
Mylie Mills gave Eastern its first lead, and a kill from
Akylah Kaino, a Kaino-Mills block and a
Brooke Womack ace sparked a 3-0 run to make it 18-15. Eastern then closed the set on a 6-0 run to win 25-16.
EOU carried the momentum into the second set, building a 5-2 lead before three straight kills from Mills and Kaino pushed the advantage to 14-9. The Mounties continued to capitalize on their offense and Columbia International errors, with back-to-back
Keira Vaughn kills closing out a 25-20 win.
Eastern dominated the third set from the start, opening with a 5-1 run and extending the lead to 11-3. Womack recorded back-to-back aces, while blocks from Kaino and Mills and Kaino and
Jule Whitley helped EOU build a 19-9 advantage. Womack delivered the final kill to complete the 25-16 sweep.
Vaughn led all players with 17 kills while hitting .432. Womack added seven kills, five aces and 17 digs, while Kaino posted eight kills and three blocks. Mills added seven kills and three blocks.
Kate Stidham led the offense with 22 assists, while
Ava Semprimoznik recorded 18 assists and two aces.
Eastern held advantages in kills (48-27), aces (9-2), blocks (4-0), assists (44-24) and points (61-29), while also holding a 56-54 edge in digs. EOU hit .308 as a team compared to .146 for Columbia International.
Game 2 - EOU v. Fisk University
Fisk took an early 10-7 lead in the first set, but Eastern responded with a 3-0 run to tie the score at 12-12. A block from Whitley and Kaino gave EOU a 21-18 lead before a Whitley kill, another block and a Fisk double-touch error secured the 25-20 victory.
The Mounties opened the second set with five straight points, but Fisk battled back to tie the score at 11-11. Eastern rebuilt its lead to 19-15 before the Bulldogs pulled within two at 20-18. EOU answered with three of the next four points, and Vaughn closed out the set with a kill after Fisk fought off three set points, giving the Mounties a 25-23 win.
Fisk again led early in the third, 7-4, before Eastern scored five straight to take a 9-7 advantage. With EOU leading 18-17 late, the Mounties scored six consecutive points behind kills from Whitley, Mills and Womack and an ace from
Madison Vaughn. Fisk's service error ended the match, giving Eastern a 25-18 set victory and a 3-0 sweep.
Kaino led EOU with 11 kills and two blocks, while Womack added 10 kills and an ace and Vaughn finished with nine kills while hitting .333. Stidham recorded 21 assists, Semprimoznik added 17 assists and six digs, and
Sidney Friesen led the Mounties with 11 digs.
Eastern finished with advantages in kills (44-35), aces (7-5), assists (42-32) and points (57-46). Fisk held a narrow 45-43 edge in digs, while both teams recorded six blocks.
Up Next
The Mounties will return to action tomorrow for the final day of the Phoenix Classic, facing the University of Rio Grande at 9:00 a.m. CT before taking on (RV) Cumberland University (TN) at 2:00 p.m. CT.
