No. 8 EOU Volleyball Punches Ticket to NAIA Quarterfinals
EOU Sports Information
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – No. 8 Eastern Oregon University Volleyball punched its ticket to bracket play as the Mountaineers took down Central Methodist University in straight sets (25-18, 25-12, 25-12) to close out pool play undefeated at 2-0. As the No. 1 seed in Pool H, EOU will now go into bracket play as the No. 8 seed.
How it Happened
• Helping the Mountaineers (19-1) take down the Eagles (15-7) was a stout defense that limited CMU to just .009 hitting for the match. Offensively, EOU hit .271 for the match and had a 43-22 advantage in kills.
• Another key component in the win for the Mountaineers was a 6-0 edge in service aces and their defense posted 11 kills compared to just seven by the Eagles. The Mountaineers also did not let the Eagles surpass double-digit kills in any of the three sets.
• EOU was able to jump out to a 4-2 lead in the opening frame against the Eagles before a 3-0 surge by CMU made it a 5-4 game. EOU tied it at 5-all on a kill from Sade Williams. The Eagles responded with a 5-2 run to go ahead 10-7.
• The two squads traded points and were locked at 12-all tie at the near midway point of the match. EOU went on a 4-0 run to go ahead 11-10 but the Eagles retook the lead with two unanswered points to make it a 12-11 game.
• The Mountaineers then pieced together another quick 4-0 run to jump ahead 15-12 and never looked back from that point on. CMU never got any closer than one point and it was when they cut the EOU lead to 15-14.
• Eastern found a rhythm late with its defense as the team surrendered just four points the rest of the set en route to the 25-18 win. Five kills from Williams helped pace the offense, while the defense gave up just nine kills the whole set. EOU racked up 16 kills in the set win to go ahead 1-0.
• The next two sets were completely controlled by the Mountaineers as they gave up just 11 points in the second and 12 in the third. In the second set, EOU limited the Eagles to just seven kills and a negative hitting percentage at -.024.
• The Mountaineers raced out to a 6-3 lead over the Eagles before they battled back to keep things close in the early go around. CMU managed to get within one a handful of times before the Mountaineers completely took over. It was an 8-7 game but that was the closest the Eagles got in the second.
• A 5-2 run by Eastern pushed its lead to 13-9 contest. The Eagles made it a 13-10 game before an 8-0 run by the Mountaineers blew open their lead to 21-10. The surge by the Mountaineers offense combined with allowing only one point on defense secure the win as they went on to win 25-11.
• Set No. 3 had a mirrored start from the second set as EOU once again raced out to a 6-3 advantage over the Eagles. This time around, EOU did not let the Eagles get back within one and rolled on offense right away. CMU got within two at 6-4 before a run by Eastern blew the set score open.
• An 8-1 run by the Mountaineers was the difference maker as it pushed their lead to 14-5. A kill from Preslee Jensen started the run. Cambree Scott added two kills in the run, while Madison Pilon capped the run with a kill of her own.
• The Mountaineers made it a double-digit lead at 18-8 and rode out the set to a comfortable win at 25-12 to earn their second straight sweep in pool play. The Eagles were held to a match low six kills in the set and hit -.059 in the set. EOU posted 12 kills in the win and hit .290.
Mountaineers Stat Leaders
• Three players finished with double digit kills led by Breanna Shaffer with 11. She hit .333 for the match.
• Sade Williams posted a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. She hit .269 in the win and had a pair of service aces to go along with five blocks.
• Cambree Scott added 10 kills and posted a .318 hitting percentage. She led the defensive front row with eight blocks.
• Madison Pilon had a match-high 36 assists to go along with five blocks and eight digs.
• Kiley McMurtrey tallied 18 kills to lead all players, while Jessie White had 12.
For the Eagles
• Jordan Wolfe led the CMU offense with six kills. She also had one block.
• Callie Henson chipped in five kills to help on offense.
• Three Eagles finished with three kills in Annabelle Maassen, and Delaney Miller. Maassen and Miller also had three blocks, respectively.
• Marina Alonso had 10 assists to facilitate the offense. Elise Hardesty-Irvin had eight.
• Both Shea Luby and Krystal Brauner finished with 11 digs.
By the Numbers
3 – EOU has now held its last three opponents to under a .100 hitting percentage.
32 – In two pool play matches, the Mountaineers racked up 32 block assists.
40 – EOU posted 40-plus kills in both pool play wins and finished with 83 total.
0 – The Mountaineers did not surrender a single service ace to CMU, which is the lowest in a match this year.
13 – Eastern has now won in straight sets in 13 of its 20 matches this season.
18 – EOU improves to 18-11 all-time at the NAIA Championships following Wednesday's win.
79 – Madison Pilon has now racked up double-digit assists in 79 consecutive matches.
Quotable
Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead
Thoughts on beating No. 9 Central Methodist in straight sets: I am really proud of how consistent our offense was today but on the other side also, our defense was incredible from start to finish. There is a lot to be said for doing your job and that is what our players did today. We knew how good Central Methodist was at hitting the ball, so I am pleased with how we contained it.
On EOU's defense limiting the Eagles offense: Like I said yesterday, we knew we had to be disciplined on defense in order to come out on top. Our transition game was smooth and once we found that rhythm, I knew we would play well. Credit to CMU as well, they never stopped battling. For us to contain that offense, as I said earlier, speaks volumes of how well our players did today in knowing what their job was and executing what we planned.
On the matchup against No. 1 Jamestown: Jamestown is a great team that warrants that ranking. We will need to play great and do our jobs tomorrow in every facet of the game. We will also need to take advantage of the opportunities we are given. This is a team that can do a lot of things, so we will have be ready and play our game.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers are one of eight teams left playing for a National Championship and will be the No. 8 seed in bracket play. They will take on the No. 1-ranked University of Jamestown Jimmies. The match is set for a 3 p.m. PT/5 p.m. CT first serve on court one at the Tyson Events Center.
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