Concordia upsets No. 8 Eastern Oregon, 3-1
PORTLAND, Ore. – Concluding a highly successful final home weekend, Concordia University defeated No. 8-ranked Eastern Oregon University 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-11) on Senior Day to finish 10-1 at home on the year and hand the Mountaineers just their third loss of the season.
The Cavaliers (15-7, 12-3 CCC) honored seniors
Lindsey Montgomery (Salem, Ore./Salem Academy),
Leslie Hanks (Hockinson, Wash./Hockinson H.S.) and
Mariah Raudsepp (Dundee, Ore./C.S. Lewis Academy) before the match, then sent them out in style. After three highly-competitive sets, Concordia led wire-to-wire in the fourth to sweep the team's final homestand of the season.
Eastern Oregon (22-3, 12-2 CCC) entered the match with seven straight wins, all via a sweep as the Mountaineers haven't dropped a single set since its 3-2 loss at Southern Oregon on Sept. 26.
On Saturday, Concordia wasted little time in snapping EOU's 21-set winning streak. Concordia broke open a close first set by taking a 15-10 advantage thanks to a trio of
Lindsey Dorsey (Salem, Ore./Sprague H.S.) kills. The team maintained the five-point margin the rest of the way, outhitting Eastern Oregon.290 to .118.
The second set was equally tight, with 12 ties and five lead changes. With the score tied at 19, the Mountaineers compiled a 6-3 run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Casey Loper, to even the match at 1-1. For the set, EOU hit a match-best .327, while holding Concordia to a match-low .229.
The teams found themselves in another back-and-forth battle in the third set, which saw another 11 ties and six lead changes. Sparked by consecutive blocks, the Cavaliers took control with a 10-4 run midway through the set that left the score 24-18 where
Brianna Hogan (Portland, Ore./Centennial H.S.) finished the set off with one of her 11 kills.
Energized by the 2-1 lead, the Cavs jumped out to an 11-3 advantage in the fourth set, a burst from which the Mounties never recovered.
Nicole Barth (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview H.S.) recorded three kills as Concordia stretched the lead to double digits and on to the 14-point win.
Dorsey led the Cavaliers with 15 kills while Casey Loper led all players with 18.
Jenessa Taylor (Beaverton, Ore./Sunset H.S.) had 43 assists for Concordia and Rachelle Chamberlain contributed 47 for EOU. For the match, the Cavaliers outhit the Mounties .297 to .181.
Concordia solidified its position in the league standings after wrenching away third place with a decisive 3-0 performance the previous evening against College of Idaho. The loss dropped EOU dropped into second place in the CCC standings, one game back of Southern Oregon.
The College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon sweep was the first for a Concordia team in exactly 11 years as the Cavs posted consecutive wins against the two clubs in Portland on Oct. 24-25, 2003.
Concordia returns to action on Oct. 31 for a road match at Warner Pacific College. The Cavs close out the regular season at SOU and Oregon Tech on Nov. 7-8.
Eastern Oregon, meanwhile, will return to the court on Halloween Night by hosting OIT in La Grande, Ore