NU's Amanda Waterman double-doubled with 19 kills and 15 digs
No. 6 EOU Takes Down Eagles in Four Sets
KIRKLAND, Wash. - Northwest University and No. 6 Eastern Oregon battled as the two unbeaten teams in the Cascade Conference and it was EOU coming out on top, 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18) tonight in the NU Pavilion.
Northwest U broke the Mountaineers consecutive set win streak, but Eastern Oregon proved too tough for NU winning the final two sets after a 1-1 tie.
NU took an early 11-9 lead on the Mountaineers, but EOU would come back strong and tie the set at 12 and score four straight for 16-12 lead. With the set in its fifth tie at 18-18, EOU would outscore the eagles 7-3 capped off with kills by Megan Bunn and Makayla Lindburg for the set win.
Set two would be tightly contested and with the set tied at 13-all, it would be Northwest U taking an 18-14 lead after kills by Mattie Jo Johnson and Michal Bilger. Two straight errors by EOU would end the set and tying the match at 1-1.
Northwest U would lead early once again in the third set, but the No. 6 Mounties would recover from a 12-6 deficit to slowly chip away at the NU lead to tie the set at 15-15 after NU committed two straight errors. The Eagles would battle back to tie the set at 22-22, but Amanda Miller’s kill and two NU attack errors would end the set in EOU’s favor.
EOU’s solid play at the net would wipe out an NU lead as Eagle miscues would lead to an 18-14 Eastern Oregon lead. The Mountaineers would maintain the lead the remainder of the way as Amanda Miller’s kill would close the set and the match out.
Northwest U (7-3, 4-1 CCC) was led by Amanda Waterman with her match high 19 kills while adding 15 digs for a double-double. Mattie Jo Johnson and Michal Bilger each had 11 kills with Johnson hitting .391 for the match. Morgan Pilon had 45 assists while teammate Leia Roy broke the school record in career digs with 25.
For Eastern Oregon (12-1, 5-0 CCC), Amanda Miller led the way with 18 kills. Madisen Garlie and Makayla Lindberg each tallied 11 kills. Rachelle Chamberlain had a team high 42 assists with 15 digs and Holli Mullins added 13 digs for the Mounties. EOU hit .212 as a team.
"First, Eastern is a terrific team that is strong in every phase of the game,” commented Steve Bain, NU head coach. “They put a ton of pressure on us tonight with their ability to extend rallies and convert in transition, which was a huge factor in the match. I liked how hard we played, though, against one of the top teams in the country and we had our share of good moments. It was an excellent match for us from a teaching perspective and I know our players will connect with the changes we must make in order to be successful the next time we take the court."
NU hosts No. 12 College of Idaho tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. while Eastern Oregon will be in Olympia, Wash., to play Evergreen in a CCC contest.