Mounties Notch 20th Victory in Dramatic Fashion, Beating Warriors 3-2 10/26/2018 10:46:52 PM LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon volleyball team outlasted the Corban Warriors 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 15-11) in Cascade Collegiate Conference action Friday night. The No. 13 Mountaineers (20-5, 15-2 CCC) have earned a five-game win streak, and have come out on top in 15 of their last 16 matches. Their win keeps pace with No. 10 Southern Oregon at the top of the conference, who defeated Evergreen Friday night. (RV) Corban (16-9, 12-4 CCC) came into the match winners of six-straight matches, and fought the Mountaineers to the very end. Even with the loss, the Warriors are in position to take third place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Although Corban is not in the top-25, they are receiving more votes than any unranked program in the NAIA. These two teams met earlier this season on September 22, when the Mountaineers topped the Warriors in five sets. EOU rose for a season-high 20 blocks in that contest. The Mountaineers won the first two sets on Friday night, but Corban fought back with inspiring force. With their backs against the wall in the third set, and the Mounties controlling a 16-9 lead, the Warriors won 16 of the next 20 points to take the set and completely flip the script of the contest. Corban went on to win the fourth set, setting up an epic final stanza that this match deserved. The first 20 points of the fifth set were split evenly between the two programs, 10 apiece, condensing the match into a first to five situation. Hailee Ackerman and Jet Taylor came up clutch with two kills to put the Mountaineers up two, giving them the lead for good. Megan Bunn and Taylor Tibbetts each smashed a kill of their own to make the score 14-11, setting up a match point for the Mounties. Kiley McMurtrey's ace iced the game, giving EOU their 20th win of the season in an enthusiastic way. Bunn led all players with 22 kills, followed by Tibbetts with 14 and Ackerman with 11. As usual, Madison Pilon and Sarah Carpenter were the primary setters, recording a combined 55 assists. As a team, EOU accrued ten blocks in the contest. Five Eastern Oregon players accumulated double-digit digs in the game, including McMurtrey (28), Bunn (19), Aspen Christiansen (18), Pilon (13), and Ackerman (10). Holli Mullins was very active at the net, tallying five block assists. The Warriors played hard from start to finish, and with incredible enthusiasm. Kealani Ontai had a game-high 35 digs, and Tori Edwards led all competitors with 32 assists. Although this match filled the stat-sheet, what was most impressive was the passion and motivation that each program showed. There were numerous rallies with both teams diving all over, leaving all they had on the floor. In the end, the Mountaineers had a few clutch kills to take the win that both teams fought assiduously for. EOU will take the court again tomorrow against Northwest Christian at Quinn Coliseum. The meeting is set to commence at 5 p.m. In their last matchup on September 21, the Mountaineers bested the Beacons in four sets. 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