Caldwell, Idaho – A five-match winning streak for the College of Idaho volleyball came to an end when No. 1 Eastern Oregon posted a 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 win on Tuesday night.
The Mountaineers (13-1 overall, 6-1 CCC) hit .169 and Sade Williams and Ashton Haughton each had 12 kills and Keira Clayton added 11. Williams also had 14 digs for a double double effort in the win. Another Mountaineer had a double double as Alexis McMurtrey had 13 digs and a team-high 16 assists.
The Yotes (7-8, 5-2 CCC) were led by
Shelbey Nichol, who had seven kills and
Haley McUne had 16 digs in the loss. McUne was one of three players for C of I with six kills including
Jade Warren and
Janae Rayborn. Warren added five blocks and
Clair Hodge had 15 digs for College of Idaho.
The first set saw EOU erase an early 4-3 deficit with five-straight points to prompt a timeout by the Yotes. College of Idaho would get as close as two, 10-8 but not enough to overcame a Mountaineer squad that hit .267 on its way to a 25-18 victory in the first set.
The second and third set went back and forth between the two teams. The second set saw College of Idaho jump out to a 4-1 advantage to begin the set. The Mountaineers answered with seven of the next eight points to take an 8-5 lead. College of Idaho answered with a 7-1 spurt that put the home team ahead 12-9. The two teams went back and forth as the Yotes went ahead by a 16-13 margin. Then, the Mountaineers rallied to tie the set on four occasions, including at 20-20. A brief two-point swing in favor of the visitors put EOU ahead for the remainder of the set on its way to a 25-22 victory.
The third set, like the second, was tightly contested. Also, like the second, College of Idaho jumped out to an early lead. The Yotes were able to build a 5-1 lead to start the set and stretch the lead to 8-3 in the set. With College of Idaho ahead 17-13, a 7-1 run by the EOU put the Mountaineers ahead for the first time in the set. After clawing within one on three occasions, the Yotes came back to tie it at 22 on a service ace by McUne. EOU came back with three-straight kills, including back-to-back efforts by Haughton to close out the match.
Next, College of Idaho will host Lewis-Clark State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Walla Walla on Saturday at 9 p.m.
