Mountaineers’ Season Ends in Back-and-Forth Contest vs. No. 1 LWC - Cascade Collegiate Conference Skip To Main Content

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Mountaineers’ Season Ends in Back-and-Forth Contest vs. No. 1 LWC

Mountaineers’ Season Ends in Back-and-Forth Contest vs. No. 1 LWC

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Facing No. 1-ranked and undefeated Lindsey Wilson, the Eastern Oregon volleyball team battled to the finish, but ultimately came up short (15-25, 29-27, 24-26, 22-25) in a four-set loss in the first round of the NAIA Women’s Volleyball Championship at the Tyson Events Center on Friday morning.
 
After a tough first set, the Mountaineers (24-11) took the top-ranked Blue Raiders to the wire, winning the set in extra points 29-27. With the set victory, EOU became just the third team to take a set against Lindsey Wilson (32-0) this season.
 
In that tough second set, the Mounties hit .318 and held off two Blue Raider set points to earn the victory. Trailing 26-25, EOU took two points to grab a 27-26 lead. After Lindsey Wilson tied it at 27 all, the Blue and Gold won the set with a kill by sophomore Megan Bunn and a block by senior Emily Nay and sophomore Hailee Ackerman.
 
The Mountaineers used the momentum to take a 5-1 lead in the third set. EOU continued to put on the pressure, extending the lead to 10-4 and then 13-7. Later in the set, a run of four points for the Blue Raiders tied things up at 15-15. LWC took its first lead of the set at 20-19. Once again, the two teams needed extra points to decide the winner with the score tied 24-24, but the Blue Raiders came away with the final two points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Once again, EOU gave the Blue Raiders all they could handle in the fourth set as the Mounties held a 17-14 lead. After three points by LWC, the Blue and Gold reclaimed the lead at 20-18. With the score tied 22-22, Lindsey Wilson won the final three points to win the set and the match.
 
The Mounties hit .197 for the match while the Blue Raiders hit .258. Lindsey Wilson had a 71-61 advantage in kills while both teams finished with 23 errors. The block party was out for both teams as the Blue Raiders finished with 10 while Mounties blocked nine.
 
In her final collegiate match, senior outside hitter Amanda Miller posted 16 kills to lead the team. Bunn finished with 13 and a .313 hitting percentage while seniors Isabelle Statkus and Madisen Garlie each had 10 kills. Statkus paced the Mounties with six blocks, followed by Garlie with five and senior Emily Nay with three.
 
Freshman libero Kiley McMurtrey and freshman setter Madison Pilon each posted career highs in the match for the Mounties. McMurtrey finished with 32 digs, good for eight per set, while Pilon posted 35 assists as the teams traded long rallies all morning.
Junior setter Sarah Carpenter recorded a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs. Also helping out defensively was junior Holli Mullins with 18 digs and senior Malia Mills with 10 digs.
 
The Mountaineers finish the season with 24 wins and their fourth-straight trip to the NAIA Championship. The senior class of Amy Arnzen, Miller, Mills, Statkus, Nay and Garlie led the team to the national tournament in all four years, which includes the program’s first-ever appearance, and a combined 111 wins.
 
For more information on Eastern Oregon volleyball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 

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