SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 6 Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (30-4) overcame a second-set speed bump and battled through a tightly contested match to defeat the No. 19 Midland Vikings (18-12) in four sets (25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18) on Wednesday in Pool F action at the Tyson Events Center.
Eastern Oregon jumped out to a commanding start in the opening set, hitting a blistering .387 while limiting Midland to a .216 clip. The Mountaineers' balanced attack was led by senior Keira Vaughn, who notched a team-high 14 kills, including critical points during the stretch to close out the first set.
The Vikings roared back in the second set, building a substantial early lead behind the powerful swings of Brooklyn Snyder, who tallied 17 kills on the night. Eastern nearly staged an improbable comeback, clawing within striking distance late, but Midland's defense held strong to even the match.
With the third set up for grabs, the Mountaineers found their footing. Kiauna Mack's efficiency (.391 hitting percentage on 10 kills) and timely blocking from Ashton Bales and Mylie Mills shifted momentum. Eastern pulled out the 25-23 set victory to reclaim control of the match.
In the final set, Vaughn, Madison Morgan (7 kills), and Emma Burlingame (10 kills) combined for crucial kills, while setter Hannah Ledgerwood dished out 20 assists to fuel the Mounties offense. Defensively, Hailey Arritola anchored the back row with 16 digs, holding off Midland's late charge.
Eastern edged Midland statistically, with a slight advantage in hitting percentage (.201 to .158) and blocks (18-14).
With the win, Eastern Oregon takes the early lead in Pool F. Action resumes Thursday as Midland faces No. 11 IU Kokomo at 4:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. PT. The Mountaineers will look to secure their spot in the NAIA Quarterfinals on Friday against IU Kokomo at the same time. The top team from Pool F will advance to face the Pool C winner in the next round.