NAMPA, Idaho – The No. 2 Eastern Oregon volleyball team continued its strong start to the season Thursday, rallying from an opening-set loss to defeat No. 15 The Master's University, 3-1, at the I-84 Classic.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening set, but the Mustangs responded with four straight points to take the lead before extending their advantage with an 8-2 run to go up 13-7. Eastern Oregon called timeout to regroup and immediately responded with back-to-back Brooke Womack kills and a TMU service error. The Mountaineers then used a five-point run, capitalizing on Mustang errors while getting a kill from Akylah Kaino and a service ace from Kate Stidham to tie the set at 15-15.
TMU answered with a 7-1 run to regain a 22-16 advantage, but Eastern battled back once again, using a five-point run to cut the deficit to one. Keira Vaughn delivered three kills during the run, but the Mustangs ultimately held on to take the first set, 25-23, on a final kill.
The Mountaineers came out strong in the second set, using kills from Womack and Kaino, along with TMU errors and a Jule Whitley kill, to build a 5-1 lead. The Mustangs responded with a 4-2 run to pull within one before Eastern Oregon answered with five straight points.
Womack sparked the run with four kills and teamed with Mylie Mills for a block as the Mountaineers built a 13-9 advantage. The teams traded points from there before EOU put together another four-point run, featuring kills from Vaughn, Willard and Whitley, to extend its lead to 21-16. The Mustangs managed to add a few more points, but the Mountaineers closed out the set, 25-19, to even the match at 1-1.
Set three remained tightly contested early before Eastern Oregon used a three-point run to take the lead. TMU responded with a three-point stretch of its own to move ahead by one, but the Mountaineers quickly took control. EOU erupted for a 9-1 run, sparked by Vaughn and Whitley, to build a 19-12 advantage. The Mountaineers maintained their momentum down the stretch, taking six of the final eight points to claim the third set, 25-14, and move within one set of the match victory.
Carrying that momentum into the fourth set, Eastern Oregon opened with three consecutive kills from Kaino, Mills and Vaughn. Although the Mustangs continued to battle, the Mountaineers maintained a steady lead before breaking the set open with a four-point run. Whitley and Vaughn provided kills during the run, while Ava Semprimoznik added a service ace and TMU committed an attack error, pushing EOU's advantage to 17-9.
Another Mountaineer run extended the lead to 21-10, putting Eastern firmly in control. The Mustangs managed three final kills, but it would not be enough as EOU closed the set with a Kaino kill and a Mills-Vaughn block to secure the 25-15 victory and complete the comeback after dropping the opening set.
Vaughn led all players with 18 kills on 39 attempts, hitting .410, while also contributing three block assists. Womack added 14 kills on 40 attempts and led the Mountaineers defensively with 15 digs, along with one block assist. Stidham led the EOU offense with 27 assists, while Semprimoznik added 20. Whitley anchored the Mountaineers at the net with six block assists, while Kaino finished with four.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will close out their preseason schedule Friday, Aug. 28, on Day 2 of the I-84 Classic. Eastern Oregon will face Dickinson State (N.D.) at 11 a.m. MT before taking on Montana Western at 3 p.m. MT.