SIOX CITY, Iowa – It wasn’t easy, but the No. 11 Eastern Oregon University volleyball team survived in thrilling fashion.
With a five-set (25-21, 24-26, 25-12, 22-25, 15-11) triumph over Briar Cliff on Wednesday night in pool play, the Mountaineers retained their hopes of reaching the elimination bracket of the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship.
EOU (25-5) recorded a season-high 104 digs in the victory, its fifth-highest tally since 2010.
Key Performances
Four players registered double-figure kills for the Mountaineers, as sophomore outside hitter Amanda Miller led the way with 15 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Emily Nay swung for 13 kills, while junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma and junior outside hitter Sierra Linke added 12 kills apiece.
Junior setter Rachelle Chamberlain dished out 52 assists to go along with 12 digs, while senior libero Piper Cantrell collected a match-high 35 digs.
Both Breanna Nogelmeier and Katelin Langel logged 12 kills for Briar Cliff, the host institution of the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship.
The Storyline
EOU hit a match-high .321 in the first set to claim a 25-21 victory. After Briar Cliff took an early 10-8 advantage, the Mountaineers used a 12-5 run capped by a Linke kill to take control. Freshman middle hitter Karlee Hollis hammered one down to lift EOU to set point (24-21), and then Tuma and sophomore right side hitter Isabelle Statkus teamed up for the block assist to put the Chargers away.
A wild second frame saw an astounding 16 ties and seven lead changes between the two squads. EOU was just two points (23-21) away from taking the stanza after a Statkus kill, but Briar Cliff responded with three-straight points to reach set point, and the Chargers ultimately stole a 26-24 triumph.
In the third set, the Mountaineers raced to a double-digit lead (18-8) after a Miller kill, and the Navy and Gold never looked back. With a 22-11 advantage, Miller hammered down one of her eight kills in the frame, and at set point (24-12), Nay rejected Nogelmeier’s attempt to give EOU a critical 2-1 lead.
The Mountaineers led for a majority of the fourth set until Briar Cliff (17-13) scored four-straight points to crawl to an 18-15 advantage. Kills by Miller and Nay and a ball handling error by the Chargers knotted the stanza at 18 apiece, but Briar Cliff remained in front, and Nogelmeier tallied the last two kills of the set to send the match to a decisive fifth frame.
A quick start proved to be pivotal in the fifth set, and EOU accomplished just that, as the Mountaineers charged to a 7-3 lead after back-to-back kills by Statkus and Miller. The Chargers pulled to within three on three separate occasions, but at match point (14-11), Chamberlain setup Nay for the final kill of the five-set thriller.
Stat of the Match
104 – EOU collected a season-high 104 digs and held Briar Cliff to a .092 hitting percentage.
Up Next
EOU will square off against No. 1 Lindsey Wilson tomorrow at 8 p.m. CT. To follow live stats/video,
click here.