STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Sophomore Jessica Gilbert got her second year at Eastern Washington off to a strong start as she helped the Eagles earn a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-14) victory over Lamar University in their first match of the Bulldog Invitational at Mississippi State University on Friday.
Gilbert, who spent the summer in Europe playing against several top club teams, demonstrated her improved skills on Friday, Aug. 26, as she collected a match-best 13 kills and hit an impressive .765 on 17 attempts. The Modesto, California native did not record a single error against the Cardinals, and picked up six digs to give Eastern its first straight-set victory in six seasons.
A strong offensive effort led the way for Eastern in their first match of 2016, as they hit .345 as a team. The Eagles only trailed for the first few points in the second set on Friday, as they limited the Cardinals to a .044 hitting percentage.
"We did a really nice job at moving the ball and getting a lot of hitters different looks to throw off Lamar's blocking and defensive schemes," said head coach Michael King. "Jessica was unstoppable today, she had 13 kills with zero errors on 17 attempts, that's great. Hitting .345 (as a team) is really a nice way to start off the season, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Sophie Miller did a nice job at getting the ball to our hitters with a lot of different types of sets, and that kept Lamar off balance (on defense) throughout the match."
Win-Loss Records: Eastern Washington moves to 1-0 on the year, as the Eagles pick up their second season-opening victory in three season. Conversely, Lamar moves to 0-1 after its season-opening defeat.
What it Means: The Eagles move to 17-18 all-time in season openers. Eastern also moves to 10-7 all-time in season openers played at a neutral location.
The straight-set victory marks the first time since 2010 that Eastern Washington has won its season-opening match in three sets. That season, EWU opened up with a 3-0 decision against Mercer in Seattle.
Keys to the Game: Eastern played stout defense in its season opener, as they held Lamar to just a .044 hitting percentage and blocked nine attacks from the Cardinals. They also out-performed LU in the back row, as the Eagles picked up the 43-34 advantage in digs, led by Megan LaFond's 11.
Top Performers: Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Gilbert picked up right where she left off last season, as the Modesto, California native paced the Eagles offense with 13 kills. Gilbert hit .765 in the match, which would have been a school record for a single-match. However, the sophomore was three attempts shy – record based on a minimum of 20 attempts – from qualifying for the record.
Senior Sophie Miller did miss a beat at setter, as she was playing in her first collegiate game at the position since the 2014 season. The Federal Way, Washington native collected a match-best 28 assists, and picked up eight digs in the victory.
Key Stats: Eastern Washington demonstrated a strong defensive presence in the front row on Friday, as they held a 9-0 advantage over Lamar in total blocks. Junior Ashley Seiler and sophomores Jessica Gilbert and Kimberly Brinkworth each picked up four block assists on the day to lead the team.
Eastern's offense was no slouch either, as they hit .345 in the victory. Sophomore Jessica Gilbert hit .765 with 13 kills with zero errors on 17 attempts and junior Chloe Weber hit an even .500 with six kills, and one error, on 10 swings.
Turning Point: Eastern set the tone early in 2016, as they hit an even .400 in the 25-16 first set victory. That first set began an efficient offensive afternoon for the Eagles, as they hit .345 in the match. Â
Team Highlights: EWU collected five service aces in the season-opening victory against Lamar. Sophomore Fernanda Vido led the team with two service aces, while Megan LaFond, Ashley Seiler and Kimberly Brinkworth each had one apiece.
Notables: Sophomore Fernanda Vido set a new career-best in kill with eight.
Redshirt sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth picked up a career-best three kills.
King's Thoughts: On collecting nine blocks "We made some adjustments earlier this week in our blocking. We put a lot of emphasis on timing and what we do with our hands, and our girls really responded to that. We did a nice job at being patient with our blocking, which is what we want. Our middles were seeing the right things at the right time, and had great timing on their jumps."
On Handling the Cross-Country Trip: "I'm really proud of our team and how their handling a cross-country trip. They've really been mature. It's a long, daunting trip, and they've responded really well. We had two flights and a two-hour bus ride to get to Starkville, and those things are really trying for sure, and they've handled it with the upmost maturity and responded well on the court today."
What's Next: The Eagles will play twice tomorrow, Aug. 27, to conclude their stay at the Bulldog Invitational. Eastern will challenge the No. 5-ranked team in the country tomorrow morning, as they take on Kansas at 8 a.m. PT. EWU will be playing in front of a national audience tomorrow afternoon, as they face host Mississippi State at 5 p.m. PT. The match against the Bulldogs will be streamed live throughout the nation on the Watch ESPN App. You may need your television provider log-in information to watch on the Watch ESPN App.
Tweet of the Match:
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