LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The Eastern Washington University volleyball team will partake in their third-straight tournament to open the season this weekend, as they'll travel to the University of Wyoming to participate in the UniWyo Invite this Friday, Sept. 9, and Saturday, Sept. 10.
The Eagles open their extended stay in the Equality State this Friday with a match against former Big Sky member, Cal State Northridge, at 3 p.m. PT. As it has been over the last two weekends, EWU will play two matches on the final day of the UniWyo Invite, as they open Saturday with Samford at 9 a.m PT., followed by a 6 p.m. PT contest with the host Cowgirls.
Eastern Washington comes into its final non-conference tournament of the year at an even .500 after going 2-1 at the Grand Canyon Tournament last weekend, Sept. 2 and 3. The Eagles defeated Cal State Fullerton for the first time in 22 years to open the Tournament, then fell to the host Antelopes in three sets before completing a come-from-behind five-set victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Last Time Out
The Eastern Washington University volleyball team battled back from a 2-1 deficit and rallied to win its final match of the Grand Canyon University Tournament in a five-set thriller over Eastern Kentucky, 3-2 (15-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 15-5), last Saturday, Sept. 3, afternoon.
All-Time Series
Cal State Northridge: The Eagles hold a 10-5 advantage in the all-time series against the former Big Sky school. This will be just the fourth matchup between EWU and CSUN since the Matadors left the Big Sky in 2001. Cal State Northridge had won each of the last two matchups between the two schools, which includes a straight-set victory over Eastern back on Sept. 18, 2014. The last EWU victory in the series came on Sept. 8, 2001 with a five-set win in Eugene, Oregon.
Samford: Saturday will mark the first matchup between Eastern Washington and the Bulldogs.
Wyoming: Saturday night will mark the third match between Eastern and Wyoming in the all-time series. The Cowgirls have won each matchup in straight sets, as the first meeting was in 1993 and the second coming in 2012.
Coming Into Her Own
Coming into last weekend's GCU Tournament, freshman Katie Mahoney had posted just two kills over her first three collegiate matches. The Dundee, Illinois native took big strides in her progression on the second day of the GCU Tournament by collecting 29 kills in two matches.
Mahoney opened the day with a then-career-best 10 kills against Grand Canyon. She would out due her morning performance in the nightcap, as she tallied career-best 19 kills and hit a career-high .212 to help the Eagles collect a come-from-behind five-set victory over Eastern Kentucky. The 19 kills against EKU is the most for an Eastern Washington player this season, and she also added a career-best 11 digs against the Colonels to post her first collegiate double-double.
Rising to the Occasion
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna had a career weekend at the Grand Canyon University Tournament, as the Keaukaha, Hawai'i native posted career highs in blocks, digs and kills in Phoenix. Ahuna landed a career-best 12 kills in the first match of the GCU Tournament to help the Eagles defeat Cal State Fullerton for the first time since 1994.
She followed that performance with a career-high 12 digs against GCU, then match that defensive effort, while also equaling her career-best in kills (12) against Eastern Kentucky to record the first double-double of her career.
Ready When Summoned
Redshirt sophomore Ashlee Vaoifi saw her first extended action of 2016 in the final two matches of the Grand Canyon Tournament. The Whitmore, Hawai'i native came in during the second set of the team's second match in Phoenix and matched her career-best in digs with 13, despite missing the opening set.
Vaoifi wasn't done there. In Saturday's second match, the defensive specialist once again found herself inserted into the rotation after the opening set, and turned in a career-best 22-dig performance in the thrilling come-from-behind five-set victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Knowing Your Opponent – Cal State Fullerton
Like Eastern, Cal State Northridge enters the UniWyo Invite at an even 3-3. The Matadors went 2-1 last weekend at the UNLV Challenge. CSUN knocked off Hofstra in five sets, then picked up a win over Big Sky foe, Sacramento State, in straight sets. Cal State Northridge dropped its final match in Las Vegas to the host Rebels.
The Matadors are hitting .227 as a team and are averaging 12.5 kills per set. CSUN features a two-headed beast on the offensive side of the ball, as senior Julie Haake leads the team with 102 kills, while sophomore Aeryn Owens has landed 84 of her swings. The next closest Matador to Haake and Owens in the kill category is junior Rachel Diaz with 39.
Defensively, the former Big Sky school is allowing teams to hit .242 against them. As a team, Cal State Northridge averages 15.2 digs per set. Junior Katie Sato leads the team in digs with 117. She is currently averaging 4.68 digs per set.
Knowing Your Opponent – Samford
Samford brings a 5-2 mark to Laramie after going 3-0 in the Samford-UAB Challenge last weekend. The Bulldogs opened the previous weekend with a four-set victory over Tennessee Tech, then picked up a pair of 3-0 decisions against Northwestern State and Radford last Saturday.
Redshirt sophomore Kate Neisler leads the team in kills with 92, while also boasting a team-best .282 hitting percentage. As a team, Samford is hitting .237 as a team. The Eagles will need to also be on the lookout for senior Erin Bognar, who's 86 kills ranks second on the team.
Neisler is also second on the team in digs, as she has posted 70, while averaging 3.04 digs per set. She has posted three double-doubles through seven matches this season. Freshman Grace Tiesman leads the team in digs with 84. As a team, SU is averaging 15.2 digs per set.
Knowing Your Opponent – Wyoming
The host Cowgirls boast a 2-5 record after a tough stretch of matches to open 2016. All four of the five losses Wyoming has been handed this season has come from a Power 5 conference. The Cowgirls recently went 1-2 at the 12th Annual Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic in Columbus, Ohio, where they dropped their first two matches to BYU and Ohio State before taking the final match against LIU-Brooklyn in straight sets.
Wyoming is hitting .170 as a team, but they are getting outstanding efficiency from senior Lauren Beach, who leads the team in both hitting percentage and kills. Beach enters this weekend with 53 kills and an outstanding .423 hitting percentage on 104 attempts. She is one of two players averaging over two kills per set, as senior Kayla Slofkiss, who has collected 51 kills this season, is averaging 2.32 kills per set this season.
On the defensive side of the court, the Cowgirls are averaging 12.91 digs per set, while teams are hitting .251 against them. Junior Lily Austin leads the team in digs with 93, while Slofkiss is not far behind with 70 digs. Austin is averaging 4.23 digs per set.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like EWU Volleyball on Facebook.
