CHENEY, Wash. – For the first time since September, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team returns home for two straight matches this week. It will be no easy task, as the Eagles play host to the first-place and second-place teams in the Big Sky Conference South Division in Sacramento State and Portland State.
On Thursday (Oct. 19), EWU plays host to Portland State with first serve set for 6 p.m. in Reese Court. On Friday (Oct. 21), Sacramento State comes to town. The Hornets are currently 8-0 in BSC play, but take on Idaho on Thursday before coming to Cheney.
LAST TIME OUT: On Oct. 12, Eastern Washington returned home for the first time in two weeks to play host to Idaho State, where they fell by a score of 3-1.
Ashley Seiler led the team with 18 kills and hit .235 with only six errors. The Eagles limited the Bengals to a .174 hitting percentage, but only hit .118 themselves.
On Saturday (Oct. 14), EWU traveled to first-place Idaho for a matchup against the Vandals. Eastern claimed the first set 25-21 after hitting .326 as a team, but dropped the next three in a closely contested match. Freshman
MaKenna Davis set a career-high 13 kills to lead the team and 10 digs for her first double-double.
Taylor Larsen also matched a season-high 13 kills.
EAGLE LEADERS: Eastern Washington is 6-11 overall and 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference. They have league wins over Montana (3-1), Montana State (3-2) and Northern Arizona (3-0). The Eagles are currently on a three-match losing streak after falling to Southern Utah, Idaho State and Idaho.
Ashley Seiler leads Eastern with 261 kills, good for 4.08 a set, which is second in the Big Sky and 42nd in the nation.
Regan Harr has dished out a total of 447 assists (6.57/set) and leads the team with 18 service aces. Defensively,
Megan LaFond has totaled 302 digs. The senior's 4.44 digs per set ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 101st in the nation. Freshman
Jayde Robertsen leads the team with 44 total blocks.
As a team, Eastern is hitting .147 while allowing their opponents to hit .216. They average 16.1 digs/set which ranks fourth in the conference and 70th across Division I. The Eagles also average 12.2 kills per set as a team. Their 37.81 attacks per set is 32nd in the nation.
SEILER'S SUCCESS: In addition to ranking in the top of the Big Sky all season with 4.08 kills a set, senior
Ashley Seiler ranks in the top-100 nationally in several statistical categories. Her 11.81 attacks per set ranks 24th, while her kills per set ranks her 42nd in all of Division I. In addition, she ranks 59th in points per set (4.44), 104th in total attacks (756), and 119th in total kills (261).
The Cheney, Wash., native has led the team in kills in 15 of the 16 matches she has played in, 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.
HARR'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE STREAK: Regan Harr has racked up a career-high 11 double-doubles this season and has 18 in her career. She has garnered both assists and digs into the double digits in every single Big Sky match this season. The junior is currently on a nine-match double-double streak, which is tied for third in program history for consecutive double-doubles. It's the most consecutive double-doubles in program history since Addie Webster had 12 in a row from Oct. 5-Nov. 16, 2006.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Portland State is 15-5 overall this season with a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Vikings are on a one match win streak after sweeping Southern Utah and are 4-1 on the road this season.
Eagle fans will be in for a treat on Thursday, as the first and second place leaders in kills per set in the Big Sky will be in action.
Ashley Seiler (4.08 kills/set) will face off against Caitlin Bettenay who ranks first in the conference with 4.12 kills per set. The Vikings also boast the conference leaders in assists (Erin Clark, 11.18/set) and digs (Tasha Bojanic, 4.67/set). Katy Wilson paces the BSC with a .394 hitting percentage. She has only committed 35 errors in 287 attempts. Mikaelyn Sych ranks second in the league with 1.42 blocks per set.
As a team, PSU leads the Big ky with 13.40 assists/set and 14.06 kills/set. They are hitting .249 and allowing their opponents to strike at a .200 clip. In addition, the Vikings rank third in the league in service aces per set (1.40), fourth in blocks (2.45/set) and fifth in digs (15.85/set).
SERIES HISTORY: The Eagles have a narrow 27-26 edge in the all-time series. Last season, EWU fell to the Vikings in five sets on the road. Inside Reese Court, Eastern boasts a 15-9 advantage. In the last 10 meetings, the Eagles have only been able to take one victory.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS: Sacramento State is boasting 17-7 overall record this year, with an 8-0 mark in conference play. They've won eight straight matches and are 5-2 on the road this season.
As a team, the Hornets are hitting .218 and allowing their opponents to hit at a .204 clip. They rank second in the BSC in assists per set (12.79), kills (13.62) and digs (17.34). In addition, they rank fifth in both blocks and services aces per set with 2.17 and 1.33, respectively.
Mikaela Nocetti averages 3.43 kills per set, followed by Shannon Boyle who averages 3.39. Kennedy Kurtz is second in the league in both assists (11.01) and service aces (.039) at set. In addition, the conference's leader in digs, Brigitte Murdock, leads the Hornets with 4.47 digs per contest. Lana Brown is sixth in the Big Sky with a .340 hitting percentage.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern trails the all-time series 17-33, but have a 12-10 edge inside Reese Court. The Eagles will be looking for revenge, as it was the Hornets that knocked them out of the BSC Tournament last season in five sets. In the regular season, Sacramento State swept the Eagles on the road. EWU has claimed four out of the last 10 meetings, two of which have come under head coach
Michael King.
NEXT UP: Eastern takes a quick trip to Weber State on Oct. 26 before returning home for the second half of Big Sky play as they host Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 28 for the first of three straight home matches.
