By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information
NAIA Match of the Week – No. 6
No. 8 Southern Oregon (15-0, 8-0 CCC) at No. 7 Eastern Oregon (13-1, 8-0 CCC)
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 5 p.m. PDT | Quinn Coliseum | La Grande, Ore.
Live Video and Live Stats – Provided by Eastern Oregon and Stretch Internet
• First-place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) is on the line Saturday, as No. 8 Southern Oregon travels to No. 7 Eastern Oregon. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT.
• Both squads have Friday night matches prior to the Match of the Week. The Mountaineers host Oregon Tech, while Southern Oregon travels to College of Idaho.
• Southern Oregon boasts a 10-7 advantage in the series since 2008.
• The two programs enter the weekend tied atop the CCC with 8-0 records – two games ahead of third place College of Idaho (6-2 CCC). Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon shared the regular-season conference title in 2014, after both clubs ended the year with 16-2 marks in the league.
• In their last meeting on Nov. 1, 2014, Eastern Oregon claimed a 3-1 win to move into a tie for first-place in the CCC. The match was the final home regular-season contest for the Mountaineers. Middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma led the way with 17 kills, while setter Rachelle Chamberlain dished out 53 assists.
• Eastern Oregon has won nine-straight matches since falling to No. 6 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), 3-1, on August 29. The Mountaineers have dropped only three sets during the stretch and only one set in the month of Sept (eight matches).
• Friday’s showdown against Oregon Tech kicks off a five-match homestand for Eastern Oregon. The Mountaineers are 36-2 at Quinn Coliseum since the start of the 2012 season.
• Eastern Oregon is three wins away from its best start in program history – 15-1 in 2014.
• The Mountaineers lead the NAIA in assists per set (13.3), while ranking second in kills per set (14.2) and 15th in blocks per set (2.4). Other top 30 rankings for the club are – No. 19 in hitting percentage (.251) and No. 27 in digs per set (17.1)
• Chamberlain, an honorable mention All-American a season ago, is one of the keys in the Mountaineer attack. The Challis, Wash., native ranks fourth in the NAIA in assists per set (11.4). She boasts 30-or-more assists in every match this year, including a season-high 57 against Carroll (Mont.) on August 28. Chamberlain, who is in only her second season at Eastern Oregon, is within striking distance of the program record for assists – 2,073 by Jessica Lea (2008 – 11). She boasts 1,983 career assists entering Friday’s match with Oregon Tech.
• Other key individuals for Eastern Oregon are middle hitter Emily Nay and outside hitter Amanda Miller. Nay owns a team-best .328 hitting percentage, while Miller paces the squad in kills per set (3.5).
• Southern Oregon (15-0) is one-of-seven unbeaten teams remaining in the NAIA. The club is two victories shy of tying the best start in program history (17-0 in 1991) and the longest winning streak in eight years (17-consecutive wins in 2011).
• The Raiders are in the middle of a four-match road trip that opened with a pair of wins at Oregon Tech, 3-0, on Sept. 22 and at Walla Walla (Wash.), 3-0, on Sept. 26.
• Southern Oregon has lost only five sets this year.
• The Raiders rank among the top 20 nationally in four major statistical categories – No. 6 in kills per set (13.9); No. 8 in assists per set (12.8); No. 12 in hitting percentage (.256); and No. 16 in blocks per set (2.4).
• Outside hitter Tyana Andrews leads the club with a 3.6 kills per set average – No. 32 in the NAIA – (180 total kills) and 14 service aces. She has been in double figures 10 times on the year, including back-to-back matches last week.
• Libero Ashlyn Flynn, who was named the CCC Defender of the Week on Monday, owns a 4.9 digs per set average, including a 5.0 digs per set mark in CCC contests. She is a key part of a Southern Oregon defense that is holding opponents to a .073 hitting percentage in conference play.
• Setter Lauren McGowne ranks third in the NAIA in assists per set (11.5).
• Southern Oregon has not beaten Eastern Oregon in La Grande since Oct. 9, 2010 (3-1).
Note – Portions of this information was provided by the Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon sports information departments.