CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University volleyball team returns to Reese Court this Thursday (Oct. 12) as they host Idaho State at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the Eagles head back out on the road as they face Idaho on Oct. 14 with first serve set for 7 p.m. The Eagles are currently 6-9 overall with a 3-3 mark in Big Sky Conference play.
LAST TIME OUT: The Eagles hit the road for another weekend of Big Sky competition on Oct. 5 and 7. Eastern Washington swept Northern Arizona on Thursday and hit at a season-best .341 clip. EWU had three players compile kills into the double-digits in
Catelyn Linke,
Ashley Seiler and
Taylor Larsen. In addition, both Seiler and
Regan Harr garnered double-doubles.
Leanna Shymanski made her first career start and hit at a team-leading .636 clip (7k-0e-11ta).
On Saturday, the Eagles traveled to Cedar City, Utah, for a matchup against Southern Utah. Eastern was unable to seal the victory and fell 3-1 in the road contest. Linke, Seiler and Harr all earned double-doubles, with Linke setting new career-highs in kills (11) and digs (22).
Chloe Weber led the team with five blocks.
EAGLE LEADERS: Ashley Seiler leads Eastern with 243 kills, good for 4.05 a set, which second in the Big Sky.
Regan Harr has dished out a total of 395 assists (6.58/set) and leads the team with 17 service aces. Defensively,
Megan LaFond has totaled 261 digs. The senior's 4.35 digs per set ranks fourth in the Big Sky. Freshman
Jayde Robertsen leads the team with 38 total blocks.
As a team, Eastern is hitting .144 while allowing their opponents to hit .213. They average 15.93 digs/set which ranks fourth in the conference. The Eagles also average 12.15 kills per set as a team.
SEILER'S SUCCESS: In addition to ranking in the top of the Big Sky all season with 4.05 kills a set, senior
Ashley Seiler ranks in the top-100 nationally in several statistical categories. Her 11.75 attacks per set ranks 25th, while her kills per set ranks her 46th in all of Division I. In addition, she ranks 62nd in points per set (4.40), 86th in total attacks (705), and 104th in total kills (243).
The Cheney, Wash., native has led the team in kills in 14 of 15 matches and has compiled kills into double figures in all but one as well with a career high 28 at Binghamton earlier this season. She has garnered eight double-doubles on the season and 16 total in her career.
and 16 total in her career.
SCOUTING THE BENGALS: Idaho State is 6-13 overall and 3-3 in conference play, but are 0-6 on the road this season. After dropping the first three conference matches, ISU has bounced back and are currently riding a three-match win streak into Cheney. As a team, the Bengals are hitting at a .186 clip and average 11.7 kills/set. ISU is 11th in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.235).
The Bengals are led offensively by Abby Garrity who ranks seventh in the conference with 3.31 kills/set. Haylie Keck, the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, ranks third in the conference with .39 services aces per set and seventh with 4.23 digs/set.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington leads the all-time series 40-34, but have dropped the last six meetings and have only won three out of the last 10. In Reese Court, the Eagles are 22-12 over the Bengals, but they have not been able to top ISU under
Michael King yet during his tenure.
SCOUTING THE VANDALS: The Vandals are currently 10-7 on the season with a 5-1 mark in conference play, which puts them in first place in the Big Sky north division. Their lone loss has come to the defending conference champions, North Dakota. Idaho is hitting at a league-leading .245 clip while limiting their opponents to a .197 hitting percentage.
As a team, the Vandals rank in the top five within the conference in assists per set (11.53), kills (12.48), blocks (2.74) and service aces (1.38). The Eagles will also have to come face-to-face with the conference's top leaders in several categories, including Torrin Crawford who ranks fourth with a .355 hitting percentage and third in blocks with 1.41/set. Kaela Straw leads the team offensively with 3.67 kills per set which ranks third in the league. Haylee Mathis ranks fourth in assists (10.19/set) while Alycia Wodke is third in digs (4.43/set).
SERIES HISTORY: EWU trails the all-time series 20-33 and have only won three out of the last 10 meetings. Last season, Eastern took the first meeting in five sets at home over the Vandals, but fell 3-1 on the second contest of the season. In Moscow, the Eagles are only 9-18 all-time.
NEXT UP: Eastern welcomes Portland State (Oct. 19) and Sacramento State (Oct. 21) to town next weekend as Big Sky play continues. First serves are set for 6 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
