KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A 12-kill, 4-block night for Willow Jacobson wasn't enough for upset-minded Oregon Tech, as fourth-ranked Eastern Oregon escaped Danny Miles Court with a 23-25, 25-20, 25-10, 25-23 victory.
 
The Lady Owls (7-13, 5-8 CCC) won the opening set and were two points away from sending the match to a fifth-set, but the depth of the league-leading Mountaineers proved key.
 
Ashton Haughton had 15 kills and eight blocks and Keira Vaughn added 15 kills for the Mountaineers (19-1, 12-1) – who dropped just their fourth set in Cascade Conference play in 2023.
 
Tech rallied from a 21-18 deficit in Set 1 to stun the defending national semifinalists. A pair of Jacobson kills helped the Owls pull even at 23-23, with a Savanna Sterck kill giving the hosts set point. An angled swing by Haughton missed wide to give OIT the win.
 
The Lady Owls continued the rally in Set 2, building a 12-9 lead on the strength of three Jacobson kills. Haughton responded for EOU with consecutive kills, starting a 6-point push for the Mounties, part of an eventual 11-1 run that built an insurmountable lead.
 
Eastern dominated Set 3, forcing 13 OIT hitting errors, but the Owls battled back in Set 4, grabbing a 12-6 lead on a Molly Grace kill. The Mountaineers clawed back, with a Vaughn kill giving the visitors a 19-18 lead, only to see a big Jacobson-Kate Hicks block start a Tech surge, culminating with a Jacobson kill extend a lead to 23-20. Unfortunately for OIT, EOU had an answer, as kills from Vaughn and Haughton started a 5-0 run to end the match.
 
Grace had nine kills and 16 digs in the loss for OIT, with Brooke Cassidy adding 19 assists and nine digs and Kaley Whalen posting 20 digs.
 
Alexis McMurtrey had 29 assists and 16 digs for EOU, with Hailey Arritola recording 28 assists.
 
OIT plays three matches next week – a midweek match-up at Southern Oregon, before returning home for matches against Multnomah and Warner Pacific.