CALDWELL, IDAHO – Continuing Cascade Collegiate Conference action Friday in Caldwell, Idaho, Warner Pacific University took on eighth-ranked Eastern Oregon University for a pair of games. The Knights battled but ultimately fell in three sets both times.
 
Due to restrictions in Oregon because of the pandemic that only recently have lifted, the Knights have had to play catchup in the gym and make up for lost time.
 
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The Rundown
Warner Pacific found itself down by seven in the first set, 14-7, but Grace Buchanan sparked a four-point run to put the Knights within three. Matalasi Laban and Bethany McKnight teamed up for back-to-back blocks during the run to keep the Mountaineers at bay. The Knights pulled within two, 19-17, late in the set, but couldn't carry momentum over as EOU took the set 25-19.
 
The Knights kept things close in the second set and jumped out to a three-point lead, 10-7, before EOU answered with seven unanswered points to take the lead and held on for a 25-16 win.
 
Once again, Warner Pacific battled in the third, but found itself down by four points, 10-6. The Knights called a timeout and scored back-to-back points out of the break, but couldn't hold the Mountaineers back as they took the third set 25-10 to win the match.
 
In the nightcap, WPU struggled to find its rhythm offensively while EOU couldn't seem to miss. The Mountaineers won the first set 25-12 by hitting at a .552 clip. The Knights tightened up on defense, allowing just a .122 hitting percentage in the second set and a .188 clip in the third, but couldn't overcome EOU as the Mounties won the next two sets 25-17 and 25-5.
 
Deeper Look
Buchanan led the Knights with a game-high 13 kills in the first match and added another eight in the afternoon match. Matalasi Laban had a career-high 24 assists in the opener and added 10 more in the second matchup. Defensively, Mercedes Massey finished with 40 digs on the day, with 21 in the first match.
 
Flash Forward
Warner Pacific hits the wood again Saturday morning, facing host College of Idaho at 9:00 a.m. MST. The two teams square off again that afternoon.