FULLERTON, Calif. – Day two of the Summer Slam provided the biggest test of the preseason so far for the No. 2-ranked Eastern Oregon volleyball program. After dropping its first sets of the season, EOU responded with two impressive wins, defeating host Hope International 3-2 (22-25, 25-27, 25-14, 25-22, 15-9) before taking down No. 1-ranked Northwestern (Iowa) 3-1 (25-14, 25-19, 19-25, 25-10) Saturday afternoon inside Darling Pavilion.
Game 1 - Hope International
The Mountaineers faced their first real adversity of the season against the Royals, dropping the opening two sets before rallying for a reverse sweep. The Mountaineers faced an early uphill battle, dropping the opening two sets by a combined five points. Hope International took the first set 25-22 before edging EOU 27-25 in a back-and-forth second frame.
The second set featured several momentum swings down the stretch. Trailing 21-17, EOU responded with two kills, a block and a Hope International error to pull within one. Back-to-back kills from
Keira Vaughn and
Akylah Kaino then tied the set at 24-24. The Royals answered with two straight points, however, taking the set and a 2-0 match lead.
With the game on the line, the Mounties flipped the script. Eastern opened the third set with an assertive 10-0 run, fueled by kills from
Brooke Womack, Kaino and
Mylie Mills, along with a pair of service aces from
Kate Stidham. Hope International trimmed the deficit with a five-point run to make it 15-8, but EOU answered by pulling away for a 25-14 victory.
The fourth set remained close early before Eastern began to take control. The Mounties built an 11-5 advantage, capitalizing on several Royal attack errors, but Hope International battled back to even the score at 18-18.
Jule Whitley came through with four of EOU's final six points, while Mills and Womack teamed up for a crucial block to close out the set 25-22 and force a decisive fifth.
Eastern wasted little time taking control of the final frame. Kills from Kaino and Vaughn, combined with Hope International errors, helped the Mounties jump ahead 3-1. Vaughn and Whitley continued to lead the attack as EOU extended its advantage to 9-4, with
Jaycee Villastrigo and
Ava Semprimoznik each adding a service ace.
The Royals made one final push with back-to-back kills, but a final block from Mills and Womack sealed the 15-9 victory. The reverse sweep kept the Mounties unbeaten and completed their first comeback victory of the season.
Game 2 - No.1 Northwestern (IA)
In the final match of the 2026 Summer Slam, No. 2 Eastern Oregon battled No. 1 Northwestern (Iowa), overcoming a third-set setback to finish the weekend with its strongest performance yet. The Mountaineers came out firing against the defending national runner-up, preventing the Raiders from finding a rhythm.
After falling behind 3-0 in the opening set, EOU quickly turned the momentum. A pair of blocks from Whitley and Kaino sparked the Mounties, while Semprimoznik followed with three service aces. Another Whitley block helped Eastern turn the early deficit into a 6-3 lead.
Madison Vaughn later added a pair of aces as the Mounties erupted for another 7-0 run to take an 18-9 advantage. Northwestern managed just five more points, while EOU closed the frame by winning five of the final six points to take the opener 25-14.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair. Northwestern used a 5-0 run, aided by multiple EOU attack errors, to take a 12-9 lead. Following a timeout, the Mounties responded with three straight kills from
Brooklyn Willard, Kaino and Mills to even the score at 12-12. The teams continued to trade leads, but a combination of Whitley and Willard helped spark another 6-1 run for Eastern. The Mounties pulled away late to take the second set 25-19 and move within one set of the upset.
Northwestern responded in the third, using a strong offensive stretch to take control and extend the match. The opening stages were tightly contested, but the Raiders eventually pulled away, hitting .371 in the frame compared to .182 for EOU, to claim the set 25-19.
Any momentum Northwestern carried into the fourth set quickly disappeared. EOU opened the frame on a 3-0 run and extended its lead to 7-2 behind Mills and Kaino. The Mounties continued to pile on, with Whitley and Vaughn making an impact on both sides of the net as Eastern built a 12-3 advantage. The Mounties never looked back, closing the set on a 9-1 run. Vaughn and Kaino continued to dominate offensively, while a thrilling 28-touch rally ended with a Mills kill to seal the 25-10 victory.
With the win, Eastern Oregon completed a 3-1 victory over the No. 1 team in the country and closed the weekend with a statement performance.
Up Next
With Saturday's victories, the Mountaineers improve to 8-0 on the season. Eastern Oregon returns to action next weekend in Nampa, Idaho, for the I-84 Classic, hosted by College of Idaho at Northwest Nazarene's campus.
The Mounties will face No. 15 The Master's University on Thursday, Aug. 27, before taking on Dickinson State and Montana Western on Friday.
