SIOUX CITY, Iowa – No. 1 Eastern Oregon University opened its NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship run with a sweep on Wednesday morning, defeating No. 24 Huntington (Ind.) 25-16, 25-14, 32-30 inside the Tyson Events Center.
With the win, the Mountaineers (30-2) remain unbeaten on neutral courts this season and move to 1-0 in Pool Play as they continue their pursuit of a national title.
The first set stayed competitive early, but EOU steadily held the upper hand. An opening five-point run helped the Mounties create separation as they consistently forced the Foresters out of system and capitalized on their errors, allowing Eastern to close out the set with just 10 kills while Huntington hit -.034. Near the 16-11 mark, the Mountaineers pulled away, and despite the Foresters' late push, a kill from Emma Burlingame followed by a Huntington error secured the 25-16 start.
EOU carried its momentum into the second set, racing out to a 4-0 lead behind a service ace from Kate Stidham, a kill from Kiauna Mack, and a pair of Forester mistakes. Huntington continued to challenge the Mounties' serve receive, but Eastern answered with key defensive plays to maintain its advantage. A gritty rally at 12-6 ended with a block by Burlingame and Mylie Mills, and a Forester rotation error widened the gap moments later. Mack and McKenzie Jonas added a block to extend the lead to 18-9, and Mills closed the frame with a kill for a 25-14 finish and a commanding two-set lead. The Mountaineers hit just .108 in the set but again kept Huntington in the negatives with their discipline and blocking pressure.
The Foresters responded with their best volleyball in the third, jumping to a 4-0 lead and later extending it to 9-4, forcing EOU into its first timeout of the match. Even after a service error gave the Mounties a free point, Huntington rebuilt its advantage to 10-5 before Eastern began to climb back up. An ace from Ava Semprimoznik, a pair of kills and a block by Jule Whitley, and an overpass putaway from Brooke Womack are what helped swing the momentum.
The Mountaineers eventually erased the daunting deficit and took their first lead of the set at 24-23 on back-to-back kills off the hot hand of Womack. Huntington continued to push the match into extra points, but EOU's offense proved too steady down the stretch as Womack and Keira Vaughn delivered crucial kills to keep the Mounties in front. Finally at 31-30, Womack rose for her 15th kill to secure the 32-30 comeback and complete the sweep.
Womack, named the NAIA Volley Report Player of the Game, led all hitters on .308 hitting and added nine digs. Vaughn followed with 12 kills at a .423 clip, and Burlingame chipped in five. Stidham guided the offense with 23 assists and added 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season, while Semprimoznik recorded 10 assists and three aces. Mack anchored the front line with six blocks, Mills added four, and Whitley posted three as Eastern controlled the net, and Libero Jaycee Villastrigo recorded 12 digs in the backcourt.
The Foresters were led by eight kills each from Haley Kruse and Maggie Hollon, and Kennedy Urban and Lauren Ross finished with 11 assists apiece. Layla Meyer totaled 15 digs and four service aces, and Olivia Krahn added 10 digs and an ace.
Eastern Oregon continues Pool Play on Friday, December 5, facing No. 16 St. Thomas (Fla.) at 9 a.m. CT with a spot in the national quarterfinals on the line.