BUTTE, Mont. — The Mountaineers volleyball team kept in winning form to start the 2023 season on Friday, Aug. 18

No. 3 Eastern Oregon captured two victories on the day, defeating No. 10 Southwestern Assemblies of God University 3-0 and Montana State University-Northern 3-0. The wins improved the team’s record to 4-0 on the year, with two of those wins coming against top-25 opponents.

Game 1: Eastern Oregon 3, Southwestern Assemblies of God University 0

In a matchup of two top-10 teams, Eastern Oregon came away with a statement victory — the Mountaineers fought off a close first set and went on to win comfortably in consecutive frames.

Both teams went back-and-forth early in the first set, with major momentum swings occurring for both schools. After the Lions clawed back to tie the game at 5-5, the Mountaineers extended a commanding 12-6 lead. Eastern Oregon led by as much as seven points, but Southwestern Assemblies of God University eventually fought off several points during set point. Eastern Oregon led 24-20, but allowed three straight points to muddy the water. However, a kill by Emma Burlingame secured a 25-23 victory for the Mountaineers.

Eastern Oregon took an early lead in the second set and never looked back. At one point, the Mountaineers went on a 9-1 run to jump out to a 21-9 lead. Eastern Oregon held on to win 25-15 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University came out swinging in the third set, leading the way for most of the frame. The Mountaineers trailed 14-12, but kicked it into high gear for the remainder of the set. Eastern Oregon scored on 13 out of the last 15 points, to walk off victorious 25-16 in the final set.

Sade Williams led the Mountaineers with eight kills, while Kiauna Mack tallied a game-high seven blocks. Alexis McMurtrey tallied a game-high 17 assists in the victory.

Game 2: Eastern Oregon 3, Montana State-Northern 0

The Mountaineers captured another sweep in their final game of the tournament, concluding the Big Sky Challenge having won 12 out of 14 sets played.

The Mountaineers got off to a fast start, taking an early 8-2 lead and never looking back. Eastern Oregon led by seven or eight points for most of the match, until pulling away to win 25-14.

Montana State-Northern held an early lead in the second set, but ultimately Eastern Oregon overpowered the Lights. The set was close midway through, with the Mountaineers holding a narrow lead. Eastern Oregon scored the final three consecutive points of the frame to walk off with a 25-20 victory.

The third set once again saw the Mountaineers take an early lead and never look back. The Mountaineers led by as much as 12 points and won comfortably 25-15.

Ashton Haughton led the way with 11 kills, while Madison Morgan tallied 10. McMurtrey (21) and Hannah Ledgerwood (20) tallied the most assists for the Mountaineers.

Coming off the strong start to the season, Eastern Oregon is set to traverse the Pacific Ocean to compete in the Magic Island Hawaii Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Mountaineers are scheduled to play three matches, starting with a 2 p.m. matchup with Jessup University on Aug. 25.