LA GRANDE, Ore. – No. 1 Eastern Oregon University Volleyball completed a perfect home-opening weekend Saturday night, sweeping Oregon Tech 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-10) at Quinn Coliseum.
Kate Stidham wasted no time putting the Mountaineers on the board, opening the match with back-to-back service aces before
Brooke Womack followed with a kill to give EOU an early 3-0 lead. Oregon Tech quickly answered, briefly taking the lead before Eastern found its rhythm and erupted for a 10-point run. Kills from
Jule Whitley and
Keira Vaughn helped spark the stretch, while
Ava Semprimoznik added three service aces and Whitley and
Brooklyn Willard teamed up for a block at the net.
Eastern continued to build its advantage with another five-point run, pushing the lead to 20-7. The Owls responded with four sparse points, but the Mountaineers quickly shut down the comeback attempt. Vaughn added another kill before Whitley and
Akylah Kaino teamed up for a block to close out the opening set, 25-11.
The momentum carried into the second set as EOU jumped out to a 5-2 lead behind kills from Kaino,
Mylie Mills and Whitley. A kill from Whitley and a service ace from
Sidney Friesen helped the Mountaineers extend their advantage to five. The two teams traded points through the middle of the set, but Eastern maintained a steady cushion. A four-point run, highlighted by three Womack kills, gave the Mountaineers additional separation as EOU pulled away late to take the set 25-19 and move within one set of the sweep.
Eastern saved its most dominant performance for the final set, as Womack, Kaino and Vaughn continued to pressure the Owls at the net. A 7-1 run pushed the Mountaineers ahead 13-6, and EOU continued to widen the gap behind kills from Kaino and Womack. With Eastern leading 19-7, Womack took over from the service line, recording three consecutive aces to push the Mountaineers to a 22-7 advantage. Vaughn and Womack then delivered the final two kills of the night, securing a 25-10 third-set victory and completing the 3-0 sweep.
Womack led the Mountaineers offensively with 13 kills and four service aces, while Vaughn added 11 kills and Whitley contributed seven. Stidham and Semprimoznik continued to direct the EOU attack with 19 and 13 assists, respectively, while each added three aces. Villastrigo anchored the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Mills and Kaino each recorded two blocks. As a team, Eastern hit .349 for the match compared to Oregon Tech's .107. The Mountaineers also recorded 13 service aces while holding the Owls without an ace.
The Mountaineers will hit the road next weekend, traveling to Bushnell University on Friday, September 18. First serve is set for 6 p.m. PT.
