Box Score LA GRANDE – On the brink of its second stunner in two nights, the Southern Oregon University volleyball team fell short in a five-set loss to 11^th-ranked Eastern Oregon on Saturday night at Ackerman Gym.

The Raiders (7-7 overall, 4-3 conference) took a 2-1 set lead before the Mountaineers (17-2, 7-0) pulled off the 16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 15-13 comeback to stay on top of the Cascade Conference standings.

EOU, which is vying for its first-ever CCC titles, has won 11 straight matches and had won 30 of its last 32 sets coming into the night.

SOU – playing its second five-set match in as many nights after Friday's win at College of Idaho – trailed 13-7 before reeling off six of seven points to close the gap. After Mona Goudarzian (Albany, Ore./West Albany)'s kill pulled the Raiders within one, though, Katie Keeney shut the door with a kill of her own.

Five of the last six matches between the Raiders and Mountaineers have gone to five sets. SOU is 3-2 in those contests but has dropped three straight overall against EOU.

Goudarzian finished with a career-high 23 kills to lead the Raiders for the second straight, accumulating 42 on the weekend. Paulla Pinheiro (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Farias Brito) had a career-high 21 kills, Lauren McGowne (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) a career-high 57 assists, Renee Yomtob (Boise, Idaho/Centennial) 27 digs and Emma Gasman (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan) 11 assisted blocks.

Eastern was able to overcome SOU's .271 hitting average despite a .240 average of its own and nine more attacking errors. Karly Stack recorded 45 assists, helping Casey Loper and Stefani Sorensen to 18 kills apiece and Taylor Stewart to 13 more.

After closing out the third set, the Raiders never led in the fourth or fifth.

The Raiders now have five straight at home, starting with next Friday's 7 p.m. bout against Evergreen State.