EOU returns talent to volleyball court

SENIOR SWING: EOU’s Grace DeBoodt will look to cap her career with a playoff run. Observer file photo

Her recruiting classes helped Eastern Oregon finish with a 20-10 record last season, taking third in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

“It was nice to end last season and not have a lot of holes to fill,” McLean said.

The Mountaineers return 12 players from last season, led by two-time All-American Grace DeBoodt. She led the team in kills with 379 and a .263 hitting percentage. The former Crook County standout is also valuable in the back row, where she finished second on the team with 264 digs.

Fellow Crook County alumnae, Jessica Lea and Melanie Ceciliani will look to build on their freshman seasons.

Lea did a little bit of everything. She had a team-high 600 assists. Lea also finished the season with 219 kills, third on the team, and 237 digs, also third on the Mountaineers’ squad.

Ceciliani recorded 247 kills in her freshman season.

The tradition continues with freshman Kaitlyn Duncan.

Duncan will attempt to fill the shoes of defensive specialist Sareena Simpson.

“(Sareena) did a lot for the program in the two seasons she was here,” McLean said. “Kaitlyn is a special player that has been able to come in a start from the beginning. She’s one of the most consistent players I’ve seen in a long time.”

Another key addition is middle hitter Lisa Steinbach. Steinbach was originally set to debut in a Mountaineer uniform as a freshman. She decided to go to a junior college, and is now back on campus.

“We targeted Lisa out of high school,” McLean said. “It’s just good to get her back here. She’s a tremendous talent that will help us in the blocking game.”

Seniors Chelsea Herron, Julie Butterfield Ashleigh Dailey and Danille Kelly will also be counted upon.

“All those players bring a little something different to the floor,” McLean said.

“The key for us is to put the team first. With so many players returning, we can’t let the selfishness show up.”

With so many talented players, it’s easy for someone to get lost in the shuffle. But teams will know where junior Haley McEnroe and sophomore Allison Groom are at all times.

“It’s great to have so many options,” McLean said. “We can keep other teams on their toes with different rotations. Plus, we can mix it up from game to game. It’s just going to give opposing teams more to think about.”

The Mountaineers have their work cut out to return to the top of the Cascade Conference.

The College of Idaho is ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA poll, jumping up from No. 18. Southern Oregon climbed into the top 25 to No. 21 this week.

The Mountaineers received 13 votes in the Sept. 8 poll.

“Every night is going to be a test,” McLean said. “Playing on the road is never easy, and you can’t afford to look ahead on the schedule or it’s going to cost you.”

EOU (4-3, 2-0 CCC) won’t be doing that this week when Southern Oregon (8-1, 2-0 CCC) comes to town to open the home schedule. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

The weekend will conclude when the Oregon Institute of Technology (1-9, 0-2) comes to Quinn Coliseum for a 7 p.m. match Saturday.