No. 8 Mountaineers Sweep No. 24 Pilots to Start Pool Play at Nationals
EOU Sports Information
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – No. 8 Eastern Oregon University Volleyball got pool play started Tuesday afternoon as the No. 1-seeded Mountaineers took down the No. 3-seeded/24th-ranked Bethel College (Ind.) Pilots 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-16). With the win, EOU improves to 18-1 on the year and starts pool play in Pool H at 1-0.
How it Happened
• Playing a solid role in the win for the Mountaineers was their all-around defense as they held the Pilots (25-7) to a .073 hitting percentage. The Pilots won the battle at the net in blocks, 9-6, but a .250 hitting percentage by EOU combined with a 40-29 edge in kills was too much for the Bethel to handle.
• The first set was the best one of the match for EOU as the Mountaineers routed the Pilots by 13, 25-12, to get out 1-0 overall. 15 kills by Eastern along with a .333 hitting percentage was key in the double-digit win.
• In the early going of the opening frame, Bethel kept pace with EOU and had the match tied at 4-4. The Pilots went down 5-4 after a kill by Cambree Scott but still managed to keep the set within reach early on.
• Bethel trailed 7-6 before a quick 3-0 surge by Eastern made it a 10-6 game. Kills from Scott and Sade Williams combined with a Mariah Moulton service ace put EOU up by four quickly. The Pilots battled back to within two before EOU went ahead four once again at 12-8.
• Looking to stay within reach, the Pilots got a kill and a block to cut the Mountaineers lead to just 12-10. The response was the last of the set for Bethel as EOU outscored them 13-2 the rest of the match. Included in that offensive onslaught was a 10-0 by EOU to go ahead 22-10.
• Three kills apiece from Williams and Preslee Jensen were key in the Mountaineers 10-0 run. The duo's six kills proved to be the difference maker as the Pilots dropped the opening set, 25-12.
• Set No. 2 was the closest of the day, but it was the Mountaineers that still came out on top, winning by six, 25-19. EOU had the edge once again in kills at 13-9 despite hitting their lowest percentage of any set at just .175. Defense once again played a role as EOU limited Bethel to a .045 mark.
• The Pilots grabbed a 2-1 lead early before EOU hopped in front at 3-2. The two squads traded points once more in the early go around and the Pilots managed to jump ahead 10-8. The lead was once again short lived before EOU pieced together another scoring surge.
• Trailing 10-8, the Mountaineers went on 6-1 run to jump ahead 14-11 on the Pilots. Williams got the run started with a kill and EOU had help thanks to a trio of attack errors by Bethel. The Pilots cut the lead to one, 14-13, but never got any closer than one the rest of the set.
• EOU was able to jump ahead 19-15 after a rare kill from setter Alexis McMurtrey made it a 19-15 contest. The Pilots then scored three unanswered to make it a 19-18 deficit. Despite the late surge, Bethel mustered just one point the rest of the way as EOU closed out the set, 25-19, to go up 2-0.
• The start of the third set saw the Mountaineers race out to a 4-1 lead over the Pilots which proved to be the difference maker. The Pilots never got any closed than two points twice in the set, which were at 4-2 and 5-3. From then on, it was the Mountaineers' show en route to the win.
• Bethel managed just eight kills in the third set, while EOU racked up 12 and had just three attack errors in the third frame. Eastern also held Bethel to under .100 hitting percentage at .089. The Mountaineers hit .257 in the set to secure the sweep.
• It was a 9-6 score in the third set after Bethel ripped off back-to-back kills to keep things within reach, but Eastern responded with a 7-1 scoring run by the Mountaineers opened up the set score to 15-7.
• The Pilots never recovered from the early run by the Mountaineers and the 7-1 surge at the midway point helped cushion the lead for EOU who never allowed Bethel to get any closer than seven points in the second half of the set.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Sade Williams tallied 11 kills and hit .391. She also assisted on one block and had five digs.
• Cambree Scott also posted 11 kills while hitting .429 in the win. She had three blocks as well.
• Preslee Jensen and Jet Taylor both chipped in five kills and had three blocks, respectively.
• Madison Pilon posted a double-double with a match-high 28 assists and tallied 13 digs.
• Kiley McMurtrey posted 20 digs to lead the back row and had a service ace in the win.
For the Pilots
• Maddy Payne led Bethel's offense with 12 kills and hit a team best .250.
• Madyson Beaver added six kills and assisted on two blocks.
• Isabelle North racked up seven blocks to lead the front row and chipped in four kills.
• Caroline Mullet had 17 assists and tallied 13 kills for a double-double.
• Jackie Fernandez tied a team high in digs with Mullet with 13.
By the Numbers
.100 – The Mountaineers never allowed the Pilots to hit .100 for the match or in any of the three sets.
0 – Eastern did not have a single ball handling error in the 3-0 win over Bethel.
78 – Setter Madison Pilon runs her streak of double-digits assists to 78 and is two shy of 80.
17 – Eastern Oregon is now 17-11 all-time at the NAIA Championships following the win on Tuesday.
1 – This was the first ever matchup between the Mountaineers and Pilots. EOU now leads the series at 1-0.
Quotable
Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead
On the team winning in straight sets: I was impressed with our team's composure, energy, and consistent play today. At this stage of the season, everyone is tough and getting a win is never easy. We knew how dangerous Bethel was especially with them being a young team. They have played some really good teams this season and so for us to come out and win like that made me happy. We have done this before [winning 3-0] in the regular season but to pick up a sweep to start pool play was awesome to see.
On the performance of Sade Williams and Cambree Scott: These two played so well today, as did the entire team. What stood out for me was how well Sade [Williams] did. She swung the ball well for being out of [our] system. I was proud of how she adjusted, and it paid off for us. Cambree [Scott] once again was a workhorse for us. She worked incredibly hard in transition today and continued to play at a high level on both sides of the ball. Both [players] did a great job today and it helped lead our team to a quality win against a quality opponent.
What to expect in the matchup against Central Methodist: I'd be lying if I did not say it is going to be tough. This team has a number of players that are involved in all aspects of their offense. We know how good they are when it comes to swinging the ball and they always have quality players who come off the bench that can contribute right away. Our defense will need to be disciplined in tomorrow's match if we want to keep on playing here at Nationals. We know how good we are and can be, so we just need to be disciplined on defense and allow that to transition into our offense.
Up Next
• EOU will face No. 2-seed and ninth-ranked Central Methodist University (Mo.) in pool play. The Mountaineers and Eagles will square off tomorrow (Wednesday) on court three. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. CT.
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