SALEM, Ore. — After dropping the opening set, No. 1 Eastern Oregon University Volleyball rallied to take the next three sets and defeat No. 6 Corban University, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
The opening set was tightly contested early, with the teams trading points through the first several rallies. EOU briefly moved ahead 7-6 before a pair of kills from
Jule Whitley and a
Brooke Womack kill helped the Mountaineers build a 10-6 advantage. Corban answered immediately, scoring three straight to pull back within one. The teams continued to battle through the middle portion of the set, with EOU taking a 16-14 lead following a block from
Akylah Kaino and Whitley. Corban then seized control late. After EOU pulled even at 18-18, the Warriors scored three straight to take a 21-18 lead. Womack helped keep the Mountaineers within striking distance with a pair of kills, and EOU eventually tied the set at 21-21. Corban, however, scored four of the final five points to close out the opening frame, 25-22.
Eastern Oregon responded quickly in the second set. Womack opened with a kill to give EOU a 1-0 lead, with the Mountaineers later scoring five consecutive points to take a 7-2 advantage behind blocks and kills from
Keira Vaughn and Whitley. The Warriors pulled within 7-6, but EOU answered with another decisive stretch. A Vaughn kill, two
Brooke Womack service aces and a pair of Corban attack errors fueled a Mountaineer run that pushed the lead to 14-9. Corban trimmed the deficit to 16-11, but EOU continued to control the set. The teams continued to trade back and forth points, but the Mounties kept their control, taking the second set 25-18 to level the match at one set a piece.
Corban scored the opening points in the third set, but EOU quickly turned the momentum. After initially falling behind 2-0 and later 7-5, the Mountaineers scored seven straight points to retake the lead. Womack's kills and a series of Corban errors, including a block from Womack and Mills, helped EOU take an 12-7 lead. Corban stopped the run, but EOU continued to maintain separation. Semprimoznik's service ace pushed the lead to 17-12, and two more Corban attack errors followed to make it 19-12. The Mountaineers eventually stretched the advantage to 23-15 before Corban put together a brief late response. EOU closed the set at 25-17 when Mills recorded another kill, this time from Stidham.
Corban came out strong in the fourth set, opening with a 2-0 lead. EOU quickly responded, tying the score at 2-2 before putting together a 4-0 run that included a Vaughn kill and a Womack service ace. The Warriors answered and eventually cut the EOU lead to 10-7, but the Mountaineers continued to apply pressure. Three consecutive Warrior attack errors pushed EOU ahead 14-7. Corban battled back, using a combination of EOU errors and their own attack to close the gap to three points. After EOU led 17-13, the Warriors scored five straight points to take an 18-17 lead, creating the tightest stretch of the final set. Eastern Oregon answered when it mattered most. Vaughn's kill put EOU back in front 19-18, and the teams traded points with Corban cutting their deficit to 22-20. From there, the Mountaineers finished with a 3-0 closing run with kills from Womack to secure the 25-21 set win and 3-1 match victory.
Womack led all players with 18 kills, hitting .381, while also recording 18 digs, three service aces and two block assists. Vaughn added 16 kills, and
Akylah Kaino finished with 10 kills.
Jule Whitley hit .636 with eight kills and led EOU with four blocks.
Kate Stidham directed the offense with 24 assists and 11 digs, while
Ava Semprimoznik added 19 assists and three aces. Semprimoznik and Womack each finished with 18 digs, with
Jaycee Villastrigo contributing 13 digs.
As a team, Eastern Oregon finished with 55 kills on 149 attacks for a .268 hitting percentage, compared with Corban's .133 mark. The Mountaineers also held advantages in kills (55-51), service aces (7-4), assists (52-48), and digs (75-70), while both teams recorded seven blocks.
With the victory, EOU moved to 17-0 overall and 6-0 in CCC play, continuing its unbeaten start to the 2026 season. The Mountaineers will return home to host No.11 Lewis-Clark next Friday, September 25th at 6 p.m. PT and Walla Walla on the following Saturday at 8 p.m. PT.
