SIOUX CITY, Iowa — After one of the best seasons in program history, the Eastern Oregon University volleyball team’s season came to an end in the NAIA semifinals.

Two powerhouses collided in the semifinals, as the Mountaineers team took their 23-game winning streak into a showdown against 36-0 Indiana Wesleyan. The Mountaineers were defeated by the Cougars in four sets, losing 23-25, 25-20, 14-25, 25-19. Eastern Oregon concluded the 2023 season with a record of 34-2 overall and 21-1 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.

In the opening set, both teams went back-and-forth, with Indiana Wesleyan holding a narrow lead throughout the entirety of the frame. The Wildcats built a 7-3 lead, before the Mountaineers came back to close the gap at 8-7. Indiana Wesleyan then embarked on a 6-0 run to build a commanding 14-7 advantage midway through the opening set. The Mountaineers fell behind by as much as nine points (17-8) as the Cougars looked to pull away.

Late in the first frame, Eastern Oregon rallied a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to just one point (21-20). Both teams exchanged points in the final stages of the set, as Indiana Wesleyan pushed to set point at 24-23. A kill by the Cougars’ Marissa Mullins gave Indiana Wesleyan a 25-23 victory to secure the first set. Sade Williams led the Mountaineers with four kills in the opening frame.

The Cougars built a narrow lead in the second frame, but the Mountaineers hung close — Eastern Oregon trailed 10-9 midway through the set after a series of point exchanges. A kill by Keira Vaughn extended a 3-0 run that trimmed Eastern Oregon’s deficit to 12-11 and forced Indiana Wesleyan to use a timeout. The Mountaineers took their first lead of the game off a kill by Williams to hold a 14-13 advantage. Both teams exchanged points in a neck-and-neck race to the finish, as Eastern Oregon built a 23-20 lead late in the set. Eastern Oregon rallied three straight points off the serve of Hannah Ramage to close out the set at 25-20 and even the match at 1-1.

Indiana Wesleyan jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the third set, prompting Eastern Oregon to call a timeout. The Cougars continued the rally to stretch the lead to 9-0, making it an uphill battle for the Mountaineers. Indiana Wesleyan stretched the lead to 18-5 midway through and held on to win the third set 25-14.

The fourth set was close in the early stages, with Indiana Wesleyan eventually building a narrow 10-7 lead. The Cougars built a five-point lead, but the Mountaineers responded with a 3-0 run to trim the deficit to 13-11 midway through the frame. Eastern Oregon used a timeout down 17-12, with the season on the line. Despite fighting until the end, the Mountaineers ultimately fell 25-19 in the third set to fall in the semifinals in four sets.

Vaughn and Ashton Haughton led Eastern Oregon with 13 kills each, while Williams finished with 12 kills and four blocks. Hannah Ledgerwood and Alexis McMurtrey each led the Mountaineers with 19 assists.

The loss to Indiana Wesley marked the second consecutive year that Eastern Oregon has ended its season in the NAIA semifinals — prior to 2022, the Mountaineers had never achieved this feat in program history. Eastern Oregon tied its program record for wins in a season (32), matching last season’s total and ended the season as Cascade Collegiate Conference champions.