LA GRANDE, Ore. — Northwest University volleyball opened its weekend road trip with a three-set loss to unbeaten Eastern Oregon on Friday night at Quinn Coliseum, falling 25-17, 25-16, 25-15 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
Jaelyn Moeva led the Eagles with seven kills and two service aces, while Teagan Schroeder added four kills and two blocks. Katelyn Bogetti finished with 10 assists, four digs, and two aces, and Sydney Faber paced the defense with 10 digs.
Northwest stayed within reach early in the opening set, cutting Eastern Oregon's lead to 7-5 on an ace from Moeva. The Mountaineers gradually extended their advantage, hitting .467 in the frame to take the first set, 25-17.
The Eagles took a 4-3 lead early in the second set and later pulled even at 8-8 following kills from Afton McRae and Bogetti. Eastern Oregon answered with seven consecutive points to create separation. NU responded with a four-point run that included a kill from Ella Ragazzo, an ace from Bogetti, and a kill from McRae to narrow the deficit to 20-16, but the Mountaineers scored the final five points to take the set.
Northwest opened the third set with a 4-2 lead, highlighted by a combined block from Schroeder and Ragazzo and another ace from Moeva. The Eagles remained close through the middle of the frame, pulling within 15-13 on a kill from Haylee Koetje. Eastern Oregon closed the set on a 10-2 run to secure the sweep.
"Eastern is a terrific team, fast, physical, and talented at every position," said Head Coach Steven Bain. "Combine that with a top-notch coaching staff, and you have a recipe for the top-ranked team in the country.
"That said, our ladies continue to make progress, and the good moments are starting to add up. We need to continue building on those moments, and as we do, belief will follow."
Bogetti, Moeva, and Koetje each recorded two aces, as Northwest finished with six. Hailey Edwards added five assists, while Schroeder hit .222. The Eagles totaled 23 kills and 28 digs.
Eastern Oregon finished with a .354 hitting percentage, 12 aces, and 10 team blocks. Keira Vaughn led the Mountaineers with 11 kills, helping EOU improve to 22-0 overall and 11-0 in conference play. Northwest moved to 6-14 overall and 2-9 in the CCC.
The Eagles continue their road trip Saturday, Oct. 10, against College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. Mountain Time.
