Mountaineers Sweep No. 17 Georgetown to Open NAIA Tournament 11/28/2017 6:00:14 PM SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It was a good start to the NAIA Championship for the Mountaineers. The No. 15 Eastern Oregon volleyball team began its run in the national tournament with a sweep of No. 17 Georgetown (25-21, 25-22, 25-13) in the first pool play match for both teams on Tuesday at the Tyson Events Center. Making their fourth-straight trip to the tournament’s final site, the Mountaineers (23-9) began Pool B with a dominant victory over Georgetown. The Blue and Gold outhit the Tigers in all three sets, impressing with a .327 hitting percentage for the match. A big factor in the Mounties excellent hitting percentage was their ability to avoid the Georgetown blockers or use them to their advantage. EOU finished with seven blocks as a team while the Tigers managed just one block. The Mountie attackers hit off the block for side outs on numerous occasions. The Blue and Gold were led offensively by recent All-Northwest Region selections Amanda Miller and Madisen Garlie. Miller led the team with 11 kills, finishing with a .345 attack percentage due to just one error. Garlie was extremely efficient with 10 kills on 16 attacks, adding three blocks. Joining in on the offense was sophomore outside hitter Megan Bunn with seven kills, seniors Emily Nay and Isabelle Statkus with five kills each and sophomore Hailee Ackerman with four kills. Statkus also led the team with four block assists, followed by Nay with three assists and one solo block. Freshman setter Madison Pilon had a strong performance as the primary setter, finishing with 29 assists. Defensively, freshman libero Kiley McMurtrey posted 12 digs, followed by senior Malia Mills with nine and junior Holli Mullins with eight. Mills also had the team’s two service aces. The Mountaineers battled in a close first set against the Tigers, but came out on top with a 25-21 victory. The teams were tied 18-18, but the Mounties scored seven of the final 10 points to close out the win. In set two, the Mounties jumped out to a large lead 10-5 thanks to a run of eight points. EOU extended their lead up eight points before the Tigers slowly began to climb back into the set. With three-straight points, Georgetown cut their deficit to two points at 21-19. The teams then traded the final seven points as EOU took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-22 win. The final set was all EOU as the Mountaineers won 12-of-13 points to grab a commanding 19-9 lead before cruising to the 25-13 victory. In the set, the Mounties hit .387 while holding the Tigers to an even .000 hitting percentage. The win marks the third time EOU has defeated Georgetown in pool play of the NAIA Championship in the last four years. The Mountaineers continue pool play on Wednesday as they face Our Lady of the Lake at 4 p.m. Central time. The Saints were swept on Tuesday by No. 2-ranked Viterbo. EOU will face Viterbo in the final match of pool play on Thursday at 4 p.m. Central time. The top-two teams from the pool will advance to the elimination rounds of the tournament, which begin on Friday. The EOU athletic department will stream the final two matches of pool play for free in the booster room upstairs in Quinn Coliseum. Light refreshments will also be provided. For more information on Eastern Oregon volleyball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com. FOLLOW EOU ATHLETICS Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu