LA GRANDE, Ore. – The No. 11 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team saw another solid hitting percentage on Senior Night to complete a perfect 12-0 record at home, as the Navy and Gold hit .393 en route to handling Warner Pacific College in straight sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-10) on Saturday at Quinn Coliseum.
The Mountaineers said farewell to a pair of seniors on Saturday night, as senior defensive specialist Piper Cantrell and senior outside hitter Kendra De Hoog played their final regular-season home matches of the 2015 campaign.
“Once again, I'm proud of our consistency and how balanced our attack was,” said head volleyball coach Kaki McLean Morehead. “Kendra [De Hoog] played great on her senior night, and this one was for her and Piper [Cantrell] tonight. Thank you to them for all they have done for Eastern Oregon volleyball.”
Key Performances
De Hoog made the most of Senior Night with 10 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller and junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma chipped in eight kills apiece.
Meanwhile, Janessa White paced the Knights with 11 kills, two aces, and one block.
The Storyline
EOU raced to a 12-5 advantage in the first set following a kill by sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus and an attack error by the Knights. Warner Pacific pulled to within four (12-8), but the Navy and Gold responded with an 11-1 burst capped by a kill by De Hoog to snag a 23-9 lead. At set point (24-13), Miller hammered down a kill to give EOU a one-frame advantage.
The Navy and Gold hit a match-low .296 in the second set but still managed to take down Warner Pacific (9-12 6-10 CCC) in the set, 25-18. With a 19-18 lead, Chamberlain tapped over a kill and then Tuma and Miller teamed up for a pair of block assists to kickstart a 6-0 run to close the second stanza.
The Mountaineers compelled the Knights to the negative .034 clip in the third set to notch their 15th three-set victory of the season. EOU took a double-digit (16-6) lead after a kill by Tuma, and although Warner Pacific pulled to within nine (16-9), a Miller kill sparked a 6-0 run to pull away, and at match point (24-10), a fittingly-perfect kill concluded the match, as De Hoog capitalized on a Chamberlain pass to register EOU’s 21st win of the season.
Stats of the Match
42 – Kills by EOU, compared to just 26 by Warner Pacific.
8 – Blocks by the Mountaineers.
0 – Losses at home for EOU for the 2015 campaign.
Up Next
EOU (21-2, 16-1 CCC) returns to the hardwood on Oct. 30 against No. 14 Southern Oregon in Ashland, Ore., at 7 p.m.