CHENEY, Wash. – In its final tune-up before Big Sky Conference play begins in two weeks, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team is prepping to head East for its final nonconference tournament of the season. The Canisius Invitational takes place on Sept. 8-9 in Buffalo, N.Y. where the Eagles face Charlotte, Bucknell and hosts Canisius. Play kicks off on Friday against the 49ers at 1 p.m. PT. The Eagles then take on Bucknell at 9 a.m. PT on Saturday before closing the tournament against the Golden Griffins at 3 p.m. Saturday's match against Canisius will be streamed on ESPN3.
ABOUT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington is 1-5 overall after an 0-3 weekend at the Cal Classic. The Eagles fell to Texas Tech and Cal in three sets before battling Dartmouth in a 3-2 loss.
Ashley Seiler was named to the All-Tournament team for the second weekend in a row. Over three matches, she compiled 40 kills (3.64/set) at a .167 clip, 28 digs (2.55/set) and six total blocks. Alexandra Espinosa was also named to the All-Tournament team after totaling 18 kills, including a career-high 11 against Dartmouth. In addition, Seiler, Regan Harr and Catelyn Linke all had double-doubles over the weekend.
Seiler has led the team in kills in all six matches. She has had double-digit kills in five of six matches and double-digit digs in three. The senior also has three double-doubles on the season and leads the team and ranks second in the Big Sky with 97 kills (4.04/set).
The Eagles rank sixth in the Big Sky with 14.93 digs/set. Megan LaFond is leading the way with 102 digs, which is good for third in the conference at 4.25/set. Regan Harr leads the team with 126 assists (5.25/set), while freshman Jayde Robertsen has 22 blocks.
SCOUTING THE 49ERS: Charlotte is off to a 5-3 start and is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Battle of the Boro tournament where they recorded wins over North Florida and Georgia Southern. Opponents are averaging 12.2 kills/set at a .136 clip over the 49ers, however, they are also being held to only 1.7 blocks/set while averaging 3.1 themselves.
The 49ers finished 7-23 (1-13 CUSA) in 2016. Sydney Rowan is currently leading the team with 107 kills, while Mackenzie Reaume has dished out 207 assists. Yumi Garcia has compiled 206 digs, while Sofie Perrens has added 11 service aces. Jannelle Curtiss leads the team with 46 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY: Friday marks the first meeting in program history. Eastern is 3-1 all-time against teams from North Carolina and 5-3 all-time against Conference USA members.
SCOUTING THE BISON: Bucknell is 4-2 overall on the young season. The Bison went 1-2 over the weekend at the Hatter Classic, with the lone victory coming over Stetson. Mimi Richards was named to the All-Tournament team for the second straight weekend. She tied Bucknell's record for block assists in a single match with 10. In addition, Sophie Bullard has recorded double-doubles in five of the Bison's six matches. She has recorded double-digit digs in six matches and double-digit kills in five. The Bison lead the Patriot League in blocks per set with 3.21.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between Bucknell and Eastern Washington. EWU owns a 2-1 all-time record against teams from the Patriot League and are also 2-1 all-time against schools from Pennsylvania.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS: Canisius is 2-5 and are coming of a 1-3 weekend at the Duquesne Invitational. The Golden Griffins' opponents are hitting .236, while Canisius is hitting .136. Claire Leonard was recently named MAAC Rookie of the Week and leads the team with 75 kills. In addition, Cassidy Ceriani has served up 12 aces while Sara Wesley leads the team with 19 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington faces off against Canisius for the first time on Saturday. Although EWU has never played a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member, it is 5-1 all-time against programs from New York.
UP NEXT: This weekend is the final nonconference tournament for the Eagles. After a one week hiatus from competition, they return to open Big Sky play for its first home matches of the season on Sept. 21 when they host Montana. The Eagles then take on Montana State in Reese Court on Sept. 23.
EAGSPIERIENCE EASTERN: Mark your calendars! The Eastern Washington University Athletic Department is inviting fans to "Eagsperience" Eastern with over 40 complimentary home events during the 2017-18 athletic seasons. All events take place on the campus of Eastern Washington and include volleyball, a program record 11 home soccer matches, and two women's basketball games. Men's and women's tennis home matches, track and field meets and football scrimmages are also open and complimentary to the public.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like EWU Volleyball on Facebook.
