CALDWELL, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University Volleyball capped off a strong opening weekend with two more victories on Saturday to move to an undefeated 4-0 start. The Mountaineers proved their mettle early with a 3-0 sweep over the nationally recognized Morningside Mustangs (25-19, 25-22, 27-25). They then put an exclamation point on the weekend with a four-set victory over No. 15-ranked Montana Western (25-11, 25-12, 24-26, 25-10).
Eastern will return to action next weekend at the Volleyesta tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Their first match up is scheduled to tip off at 12 p.m. CT Friday afternoon against Oklahoma City University.
GAME 1
Eastern Oregon University secured a 3-0 sweep over Morningside University Saturday morning for their third consecutive victory to start the season. The Mountaineers won the match with set scores of 25-19, 25-22, and 27-25.
Eastern struggled to find the same consistency they had on day one and had to battle to two extra points in a tight third set to clinch the match.
Eastern Oregon recorded 39 kills with a .145 hitting percentage, led by Madison Morgan with 11 kills and Keira Vaughn adding 10. The Mountaineers' serving was also effective, as they registered seven aces, with Hannah Ledgerwood leading the way with four. Defensively, EOU was anchored by Hailey Arritola, who tallied 22 digs, and Mylie Mills, who contributed six blocks.
The Mountaineers also held an edge in assists, with Alexis McMurtrey dishing out 21 and Ledgerwood adding 11.
Morningside struggled offensively, managing a .068 hitting percentage with 33 kills on 117 attempts. Claire Wilson was the standout for the Mustangs, leading with 12 kills. However, Morningside was hindered by 25 attack errors and a negative hitting percentage in the second set.
GAME 2
Eastern Oregon improved to 4-0 on the season with a convincing 3-1 victory over No. 15 Montana Western Friday afternoon in their final game of the opening weekend at the JA Albertson Activities Center in Caldwell. The Mountaineers took the match with set scores of 25-11, 25-12, 24-26, and 25-10.
Eastern Oregon came out with a potent offensive attack, finishing with a .319 hitting percentage and 57 kills. Keira Vaughn continued her hot start to the season and led the way with 16 kills on 35 attempts, hitting .371, while Kiauna Mack added 10 kills with an extremely efficient .769 hitting percentage. The Mountaineers' balanced effort also included six service aces, with Hannah Ledgerwood accounting for four.
Defensively, Eastern Oregon's defense continued its stifling efforts holding Montana Western to a .069 hitting percentage. Kiauna Mack contributed seven blocks to lead the Mountaineers' defense, while Hailey Arritola anchored the back row with 17 digs. Montana Western's offense struggled, particularly in the first and fourth sets, where they hit .000 and -.054, respectively.