LA GRANDE, Ore.  – The undefeated regular season CCC champion Eastern Oregon University volleyball team showed why they are currently ranked No. 8 in the NAIA on Friday, knocking off the fourth-seeded Beacons 25-17, 25-23, 25-20 in the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament presented by U.S. Bank.
 
The Mounties (16-0) hit .299 in the match and held a 9-5 advantage in blocks as they shut-down multiple attempts at Bushnell rallies throughout the evening. The Beacons had six service aces and were able to keep the EOU defense off balance, but not enough to hand them their first loss of the season.
 
"I am really proud of this team's fight," said head coach Jason Corwin. "We had a really good week of practice and we felt we were ready to play our best volleyball today. We did a lot of really good things but we were not consistent enough with it. Eastern played like the No. 1 seed on their home floor. It is always a tough environment to play in.
 
The Beacons (13-6) were led on offense by Cambria Lingenfelder who collected a match-high nine kills, adding nine digs and four service aces. The middle-blocking duo of Payton Jones and Natalie Martin combined to hit 12-for-28 with just three errors, and had a hand in all five team blocks. Callie Wilkins matched the game-high with 12 digs while Makenna Northern went toe-to-toe with EOU's Madison Pilon with both of the CCC's All-Conference setters earning 29 assists.
 
Eastern was led by Sade Williams' nine kills while Cambree Scott, Jet Taylor, and Mariah Moulton each posted seven. Kiley McMurtrey added 12 digs while Aspen Christiansen posted 11.
 
The Mounties move on to the CCC championship game on Saturday against No. 13 Corban. The Warriors knocked off Oregon Tech in the other semifinal.
 
For the Beacons, a spot firmly on the bubble for the NAIA National Tournament means a long weekend of scoreboard watching as they hope to see their name called on Monday when the 48-team field is announced. Bushnell is currently receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll and sits five spots out of the top-25.