SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The sixth-ranked Mountaineer volleyball team collected its 30th win of the 2016 campaign on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping No. 24 Montana Tech (25-21, 25-22, 25-13) in pool play of the NAIA National Championships.
EOU (30-2) recorded 45 kills and seven team blocks on the day, hitting .280 while holding the Orediggers to a .151 clip.
Once again, senior hitter Makayla Lindburg and junior outside hitter Amanda Miller shouldered the load offensively, tallying 12 kills apiece, while junior middle hitter Kasaundra Tuma posted seven kills and four block assists.
Senior setter Rachelle Chamberlain just missed a double-double with 34 assists and nine digs, while sophomore libero Holli Mullins and junior defensive specialist Malia Mills added 24 and 10 digs, respectively.
With the first set tied at four apiece, EOU mustered a 13-6 run to go up by seven (17-10) after two straight kills by Tuma. Montana Tech (24-10) chipped away, ultimately pulling to within three (23-20), but the Blue and Gold used an Oredigger attack error and a kill by junior middle hitter Madisen Garlie to seal the set, 25-21.
In the second frame, EOU snagged an early 12-4 lead, as Miller and junior right-side hitter Isabelle Statkus put down kills to cap the run. Again, Montana Tech continued to hang around, carding five straight at one point to pull within two (18-16). The Mountaineers fired back with seven of the next nine to go up by five (23-18), and the Orediggers racked in four more before junior middle hitter Emily Nay and Miller plated kills to notch the set.
The third stanza was all EOU, as the Blue and Gold raced to a 10-point (18-8) edge after three straight points, two of which were kills by Lindburg. Nay batted one over to extend the margin to 11 (23-12), and Montana Tech yielded an attack error and a service mishap to deal EOU the final two points.
BY THE NUMBERS
30 – Wins for EOU, which ties a school record.
12 – Kills apiece for Miller and Lindburg.
UP NEXT
EOU closes pool play tomorrow against No. 11 Georgetown at 3 p.m. CT.
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