SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Eastern Oregon met with undefeated Indiana Wesleyan in a fab four matchup Monday night. Ultimately it was the No. 2 seed and unbeaten Wildcats securing a 3-1 victory over No. 3-seeded Eastern Oregon at the Tyson Events Center with scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-14, 25-19.
Senior outside hitters Sade Williams and Ashton Haughton played pivotal roles, each contributing 12 and 13 kills, respectively. That duo was joined by tournament standout Keira Vaughn who added another 13 kills. However, the team struggled to maintain consistency, particularly in the third set where they faced a negative attack percentage of -.100.
Indiana Wesleyan’s Abbigail Porter emerged as an elite facilitator for the wildcats, contributing not only in setting with 51 assists but also 11 digs. Eva Joldersma delivered a standout performance, leading the team with 17 kills, while Marissa Mullins added 13 kills and seven crucial blocks. It ended up being the Wildcats night as they finished the game with a solid .211 attack percentage.
Although the Mounties came up short, they put up a fight as there was 14 tie scores and five lead changes throughout the match.
The semifinal appearance marks the second consecutive appearance (and second in program history) in the fab four. Tonight’s loss marks the end of another historic year for Eastern Oregon Volleyball who finished the season with an overall record of 34-2 which ties the program mark for wins in a season and sets a new win percentage record of .955. Eastern yet again proved their elite status holding a number one ranking earlier this season, finishing the year ranked No. 3 in the nation, and putting together two double digit win streaks with the longest being 23 matches.
Mounties Fall Short in National Semifinals
