VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com) The Vikings challenged the overall third seed in the NAIA National Volleyball Tournament, Eastern Oregon, at various times Wednesday afternoon.
But ultimately, the Mounties demonstrated why they are now 32-1.
With a balanced offense that the Viking defense constantly adjusted to, Eastern Oregon swept Valley City State 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-20) in the opening round of pool play at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, IA.
The results pushes the Vikings into elimination mode, needing a win against #14 Montana Tech Thursday to stay alive. Eastern Oregon can win their way into the quarterfinals with a win over Montana Tech Friday, regardless of Thursday’s results.
The Mounties started white hot out of the gate, keying on their middle and right pins, despite their offensive leader, Sade Williams, playing the outside position. Williams had just one kill in the first 40 rallies of the match, but Ashton Haughton and Madison Morgan were hunters from the right side.
The Vikings fell behind by six, before slicing the lead to two after turning away three straight set points on the opener, eventually falling by three.
Eastern Oregon opened up an eight point lead, in the interior of the second set, eventually winning by nine. The Mounties sprung to a 10-4 lead in the third, with the Vikings eventually tying the set. Williams and Cascade Collegiate Conference Freshman of the Year Mylie Mills took control to finish the match.
Mills led all offensive players with 12 kills for the Mounties, hitting .500 for the match. Williams added 10, hitting .474.
The Viking offense was respectable. VCSU hit a team .216 against a Mounties defense that allowed opponents a hitting percentage of just .076 this season. Mardi Scutchings led the Vikings with 11 kills. Bailey Nelson added 10, and Sadie Hansen recorded 30 more assists, with her total now 1,262 on the season.
The Vikings meet Montana Tech Thursday at 1:00 PM, pregame coverage on KOVC scheduled for 12:30 PM. The Vikings must win to keep their season alive.