LA MIRADA, Calif. – The No. 8 EOU volleyball team was outhit by No. 16 Westmont, .281-.132, en route to dropping a three-set (25-21, 25-14, 25-19) decision on Thursday morning at Biola’s Summer Slam.
The Warriors held EOU (0-1) to 31 kills while tallying 51 of their own, as the Mountaineers lost their first season opener since the 2012 season.
Both junior middle hitter Madisen Garlie and senior outside hitter Makayla Lindburg shined in their EOU debuts, posting 11 and eight kills, respectively. Senior setter Rachelle Chamberlain notched a double-double with 26 assists and 11 digs, while junior libero Malia Mills added 20 digs.
In the opening frame, Westmont took an early 4-0 lead and held off a late EOU rally to claim a 25-21 set win. Senior outside hitter Sierra Linke tallied two quick points (kill, service ace) to pull the Mountaineers within two (5-3), but the Warriors responded with an 11-6 burst to take their largest lead of the set (16-9).
Junior outside hitter Amanda Miller teamed up with Garlie for the assisted rejection and then attacked for a kill of her own to cut the deficit to three (24-21), but Westmont mustered the final point of the frame.
The second set saw Westmont (1-0) use a 10-1 run to break the frame open, and EOU never recovered. A Garlie kill made it a one-point contest (6-5), but the Warriors tallied 18 of the next 25 points on the way to taking a 25-14 win.
EOU snagged an early 12-8 third-set edge before Westmont forged a 14-5 run to break away. Garlie hammered one down to put the Mountaineers up three (11-8), and then the Warriors committed an attack error to give EOU its largest lead of the match. With the set tied at 15 apiece, Westmont netted four-straight to regain the momentum and ride to a 25-19 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
2-1 – Record vs. Westmont under McLean Morehead.
11 – Kills by Garlie in her Mountaineer debut, while Lindburg attacked for eight kills of her own.
4 – Largest lead by EOU in the match.
23 – Career double-doubles for Chamberlain.
UP NEXT
EOU squares off against No. 19 Biola tonight at 6 p.m. To follow live stats and/or watch live video,
click here.