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ASHLAND – No matter the month, the storyline never seems to change when the Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho volleyball teams visit Southern Oregon University.

The context for this weekend is as simple and poignant as ever: Someone is going to be put on the fast track to a Cascade Conference title, and someone could easily be left with too much ground to make up.

The 11th-ranked Mountaineers (15-1 overall, 5-0 CCC), who are the conference's hottest team, will be at Riehm Arena to face the 14th-ranked Raiders (10-3, 4-1) in a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday, marking the first time the teams have met while both ranking in the top 15. The Coyotes (7-7, 4-1), who were the preseason favorite to win the CCC, will be at SOU at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The Coyotes have finished on top of the CCC the last five seasons, sharing the title with the Raiders twice. No one other than SOU or C of I has won the conference since 2002, though Eastern was just a game back of C of I in 2013 and got a head-start this year with a five-set win over the Coyotes on Sept. 9 in Caldwell.

SOU had its five-match win streak stopped last Saturday at Concordia (9-4, 6-0), another contender, a night after sweeping at Warner Pacific. The Raiders still moved up one spot in this week's NAIA Top 25 poll.

"I don't really see these challenges as being any different in how important they are and how much talent is going to be on the floor," SOU head coach Josh Rohlfing said. "We're ready for two dogfights."

The Raiders split this particular home stand the last two seasons and swept it the previous three. Only once since CCC volleyball competition began in 1988 has the champion finished with more than two circuit losses.

SOU's hot hands: Shaking off some early conference attacking struggles, Paulla Pinheiro (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Farias Brito) has experienced a breakout of sorts in her last three matches while totaling 51 kills in 12 sets. She helped SOU to a season-best .386 attacking average at Warner Pac with 14 kills on 23 swings, and currently ranks seventh in CCC play in kills per set (3.2) and first in service aces (0.6).

Motade Atanda (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) has hit double figures in kills five straight matches, leading the CCC at 4.1 per set and ranking 14th in digs (3.1)... Lauren McGowne (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) ranks first in assists per set (11.6) and 10th in aces (0.4)... Nikki Keller (Carson City, Nev./Carson) is first in blocks (1.6) and second in attacking average (.380)... Brookelynn Cole (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) is fourth in digs (4.9), Sam Boehnke (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) 10th in blocks (0.8) and Emma Gasman (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan) 14th in attacking average (.229).

About Eastern: Despite their recent emergence as a conference power, the Mountaineers have yet to win a conference match in Ashland in 24 tries. The Mountaineers were swept at SOU last year while ranked 10th, and the teams have split their last eight meetings overall.

Eastern's only loss this year was against fifth-ranked Biola. Senior middle Casey Loper, the reigning league MVP, leads the charge at 3.9 kills per set on a league-best .387 attacking clip. As a team, the Mountaineers are hitting .239 in CCC play and leaving opponents at an .087 average with three players among the top-six blockers. Emily Nay, a 6-1 freshman, is hitting .338 with 3.1 blocks per set, Jessalyn Smith is posting a league-best 5.9 digs, and setter Rachelle Chamberlain averages 10.9 assists.

"They're just relentless," Rohlfing said of the Mountaineers. "They have the ability to handle the ball really well, and they're pretty tenacious on offense. I'm really impressed by them."

About College of Idaho: The Coyotes' early routine appears similar to the one they performed last year, when they lost their first seven matches against top competition before reeling off 18 wins in 20 matches through the CCC tournament. They've swept every opponent they've seen in loop action with the exception of EOU.

All-CCC senior setter Sierra Porter (11.4 assists, 3.7 digs, 0.6 aces) has six 6-footers to play with, helping explain a league-best .249 attacking average. Katy Robinson (.321, 2.9 kills) and Kylie Porter (.306, 2.8) are fed the most in the middle, while senior Emily Ottinger averages 3.5 kills per set.

"They're a lot bigger than any team in our conference, and that always creates a tough matchup for us," Rohlfing said. "If we're not passing or handling the ball well, they don't have to be quite as mobile. So that's kind of the key for the weekend."

SOU leads the all-time series, 59-28, and C of I has won 11 of 19 since Rohlfing took over in 2007.