KIRKLAND, WA - If the Northwest University women's volleyball team were to make a nationwide statement, tonight was its opportunity to do so. The Eagles rose to the occasion, taking down the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, known as the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers, 22-25, 25-13, 17-25, 25-15, 15-12.

Anybody who walked into the Kristi Brodin Pavilion tonight past 7 pm had a hard time finding a spot to sit, as the gym rapidly filled with fans from both sides. Everyone knew it was going to be a game to remember before the first whistle blew.

Set 1

Savannah Hale gave the Eagles just the right amount of confidence they needed to open up the first set, acing the Mounties two times in a row. Susanna Bailey and Kylie Lunday then gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead with a block.

The lead alternated for the rest of the set until Eastern took the frame at 25-22 with a kill. 

Set 2

The Eagles started off the second set again at 3-0, only this time, they left little room for the Mounties to create any further damage. The Eagles quickly took the lead eventually finding themselves ahead 17-9. This offensive run included 10 kills to zero errors for NU. The set ended at 25-13, the last two points coming from a service ace by Allie Flynn and a kill by Karste Wright, fed by Flynn. With this, the Eagles became the first team to take a set off of Eastern Oregon in 2023 conference play thus far. 

Set 3

With the match now tied, both teams regathered and came out strong. The Mounties started to extend their lead with a considerable amount of kills, eventually taking the third frame at 25-17.

Set 4

Back-to-back kills from Susanna Bailey fired up the Eagles in the fourth set, followed by back-to-back aces from Masa Spela-Jarc. Now up 7-2, NU kept a comfortable lead, resulting in an EOU timeout at 16-7.

Kaitlyn Mickle continued to lead the Eagles in points, with a great deal of help from Karste Wright. Wright seemed to be creating some type of pattern, as she once again, ended the set with a kill, 25-15. 

Set 5

With everything on the line, the Eagles and Mounties faced each other in one final set. Kylie Lunday opened it up with a kill, followed by another ace from Savannah Hale. The Mounties found themselves leading at 7-3, but their momentum was cut short by Kailtyn Mickle with a kill set by Morgan Harter. The Mounties made a few attacking errors and Kalli Budge and Mickle brought the Eagles within one point with a block. 

As the Eagles trailed closely behind, their offense erupted and finally put them in the lead at 13-12. Straight out of a timeout, Allie Flynn set Susanna Bailey up for a kill to put the Eagles one point away from the win. With another set by Flynn to Bailey, the Eagles put a red line through the Mounties' "undefeated" headlines. 

Kelsey Moore, Allie Flynn, and Savannah Hale kept the back court clean each in double digits for digs. 

Kaitlyn Mickle ended with 20 kills and three blocks. Karste Wright added 13 kills and Susanna Bailey had eight. 

Allie Flynn recorded 23 assists and Morgan Harter had 17.

Head Coach Steve Bain says, "Tonight's match was a battle from start to finish and the energy in the gym was terrific on the court and in the stands. As always, Eastern's offensive weapons and consistent play put pressure on us throughout the night, but we were able to counter with solid first contacts in the serve and pass phase. We have also been preaching the value of playing clean so it was gratifying to see our ladies get a return on the investment they have been making in our process. We will enjoy the win for a few hours but realize we will face a strong College of Idaho team tomorrow night."
 

The weekend is not over for the Eagles, as they host College of Idaho tomorrow night at 7 pm. The Yotes, coming off of a four-game winning streak, will be eager for a competitive match.