SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Eastern Oregon University volleyball team defeated Columbia College in five sets to advance to the NAIA tournament semifinals on Saturday, December 2 in Sioux City, Iowa.

The match increased Eastern Oregon’s winning streak to 23 games, moving the Mountaineers to just two matches away from a national championship.

The Mountaineers opened the match strong, winning the first two sets in consecutive order. The Mountaineers opened the match on a 3-0 run, but the Cougars managed to keep the set close and play out a 9-9 draw in the early stages. Eastern Oregon fell behind 13-10 and trail 20-19 late in the match, but ended the frame on a 6-2 run to win 25-22. The Mountaineers won the final four consecutive points, three off the serve of Hannah Ledgerwood.

Both teams went back-and-forth in the second set, with the Mountaineers taking over midway through. After an 8-8 draw early on, Eastern Oregon pulled away to take a 17-12 lead. Columbia College pulled within three points, but the Mountaineers held on to win 25-20.

Columbia College pushed back in the third set, with the match on the line. Eastern Oregon took an early lead, and went up by as much as five points late in the match (18-13). However, a 6-0 run by the Cougars flipped the set in favor of Columbia College. Both teams exchanged leads in the finals stretch, but Columbia College pulled away and ended the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-22 and cut Eastern Oregon’s match lead to 2-1.

In the fourth set, Columbia College came out swinging — the Cougars led 8-3 out of the gates and forced Eastern Oregon to have to battle uphill. After the Mountaineers cut the lead to 9-6, Columbia College stretched a commanding lead to 15-8 midway through. Down 19-12, the Mountaineers made a late push and trimmed the lead to 19-15. The Mountaineers rallied to cut the deficit to 22-20, prompting Columbia College to call a timeout. After Eastern Oregon cut the lead to one point, but Columbia College rallied to win 25-23 and force a fifth set.

In the early stages of the final set, Columbia College held a narrow advantage. A 6-0 run thrust Eastern Oregon into a commanding lead, going up 10-6. The Cougars managed to trim the lead to 11-9, but the Mountaineers held their ground. Ashton Haughton recorded a kill and block in consecutive points to secure a 15-12 victory in the fifth set, giving Eastern Oregon the win and a trip to the NAIA Semifinals.

Keira Vaughn led all players in kills, tallying 27 — Sade Williams totaled 20 and added five blocks and 23 digs. Ledgerwood led the way with 30 assists, while Alexis McMurtrey totaled 24. Kiauna Mack played exceptionally at the net for the Mountaineers, racking up 12 total blocks.

The victory moves Eastern Oregon into the final four of the NAIA Volleyball Championship. Up next, the Mountaineers will face No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan in the semifinals on Dec. 4. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. PT.