AZUSA, Calif. -- The Eastern Oregon University volleyball team fell in it's first match of the season to Vanguard University, 3-2, at the APU Cougar Classic Thursday.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead Vanguard, winning the first two games, but could not stop the Lions' momentum in the following three games. EOU won games one and two, 25-21. Vanguard then won game three, 25-21, game four, 25-22, and the final game, 15-9. The thrilling opening match featured 22 ties and seven lead changes.
Jessica Lea finished with a match-high 22 kills to lead EOU. The senior added 25 assists. Emily Sampson had a team-high 38 assists. Kaitlyn Duncan and Leigh Anne MacCarthy had 19 and 11 digs. Stefani Sorensen and Katie Showeers each had a pair of blocks. Taylor Stewart chipped in 13 kills and Showers added 11 kills.
The Mountaineers fell behind in the second match early. Cal State-San Marcos dominated the first game and won, 25-17. The Cougars had a 64 percent hitting percentage in the first set, compared to Eastern's 46 percent. EOU rebounded to win games two and three, 25-22 and 25-21.
Eastern Oregon's accuracy problems returned in the fourth game. The Mountaineers had a 41 percent hitting percentage, while CSUSM was at 61 percent. The teams went back and forth in the final set, but the Cougars pulled away late and won, 15-12. The match featured 36 ties and 17 lead changes.
Cal State-San Marcos was led by Alyssa Foster's match-high 55 assists. Lindsey Mitchell had a match-high 26 kills and Nichole May added 26 digs. The Cougars finished with a .199 hitting percentage.
Lea ended the second match of the day with 15 kills, 28 assists, and 18 digs. Duncan had a team-high 24 digs, Sampson added 22 assists, and Showers finished with 11 kills. The Mountaineers had a .186 hitting percentage as a team.
Eastern battles a pair of top 10 ranked teams Friday. The Mountaineers face No. 9 Concordia-Irvine at 10 a.m. and No. 6 Azusa Pacific at 2:15 p.m. Both matches will have live stats on EOUSports.com.