NU's Breanna Covey looks for a kill against EOU.
Mounties Best Eagles in Five Sets
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest University faced another tough foe for the second consecutive match and fell in five sets, 3-2 (25-19, 21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 13-15), to Eastern Oregon tonight on the second night of Cascade Conference play. All five sets proved to be close with both teams making key plays during critical points in the match.
The first set was a sign of things to come as the teams traded points and the early going saw 7 ties. The turning point in the set came with the score knotted at 13-13. Four straight attack errors by EOU would lead to a 17-13 Northwest lead. Irene Walters would stop the run with her kill and a miscue by NU would pull the Mounties to within two, 17-15. A kill by Breanna Covey would make 18-15 and three plays later Molly Boyle’s kill would give the Eagles a 20-16 lead. Four straight kills by NU and a service error by EOU would end the set, 25-19, Northwest U.
EOU would lead the entire second set with the exception of one tie. Late in the set another EOU miscue, a kill by Sarah Stoker and a service ace by Olivia VanDlac would make it a 22-20 score, but kills by EOU’s K.S. Loper, and Rebecca Haight would win the set for the Mountaineers.
Seven ties in the third set would keep it close and it wouldn’t until the teams were tied at 20-20 that EOU gained the upper hand, taking a two point lead, 22-20 on a kill by Haight and an attack error by Northwest. After an Alisha Crane kill, Lauryn Ernster would make it 24-22 with her two kills, but EOU would come away with the set victory on an attack error by the Eagles.
Olivia VanDlac would help give NU a 10-8 lead in the fourth set with two service aces. Northwest would maintain the lead the remainder of the set growing the lead to 20-13 after Arika Zwack’s kill. Stefani Sorenson would close the lead to 22-17 with her pair of kills and kills by Rebecca Haight and Alisha Crane would make it a two point lead for NU, 22-20. Rae Ann Haistings and an EOU error would increase the lead to 24-20 and after a Haight kill, Olivia VanDlac would win the set for the Eagles with her kill.
The fifth and final set would be close the entire way and following a 10-all tie, Eastern would move into a 12-10 lead on a Taylor Stewart kill and service ace. Northwest’s Arika Zwack would pull the Eagles to within one point for EOU with a kill, 13-12, but following a Van Dlac kill, Stefani Sorensen would close out the set and the match with her kill.
Sophomore Olivia VanDlac led Northwest U. (2-5, 0-2 CCC) with a match high 18 kills and added 15 digs. Senior Breanna Covey had 12 kills and 12 digs. Senior libero, Heather Shulke, had a team high 37 digs while freshman Ashton Arbuthnot finished with 21 assists and 14 digs. Sarah Stoker had 4 blocks for a match high.
Eastern Oregon (8-2, 2-0 CCC) was led by Stefani Sorensen’s 17 kills while teammate Kaitlyn Duncan had a match high 43 digs. Jessica Perron had a match high 25 assists and Bobbi Sumpter added 20 assists for the night. K.C. Loper had 14 kills, Alisha Crane 13 kills and Rebecca Haight totaled 11 kills and 20 digs.
“It was a great match tonight, hard fought on both sides of the net and credit Eastern Oregon for the victory,” commented Eagle coach, Steven Bain. “We just came up a bit short but even if it had gone our way nothing really changes. We would still be back in the gym on Monday preparing for our next opponent as fiercely as we prepared for the last. I am anxious to get back to work and I know the players are too.”
Northwest travels to in-state rival Evergreen on Sept. 4 and then takes part in the (Evergreen) Red Lion Invitational in Olympia, Sept. 6 through 8. Eastern remains on the road as they take on Corban in Salem, Ore., and Northwest Christian in Eugene, Sept. 7 and 8.