CHENEY, Wash. – After a three-match Big Sky Conference road trip, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team returns to Reese Court for a pair of matches this week. The Eagles host Portland State on Thursday (Oct. 4) and Sacramento State on Saturday (Oct. 6). First serve for both matches is set for 6:05 p.m. and admission is complimentary to the public.
HOW TO WATCH: All volleyball home matches can be watched for free on WatchBigSky.com or on Pluto TV Channel 234. Additionally, fans can follow @EWUVB on Twitter for in-game updates or via live stats
HERE.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington is 8-8 overall and 0-4 in Big Sky play and are looking to snap a five-match losing streak this weekend. Recently, EWU went on the road and fell to both Idaho State and Weber State in straight sets.
Alexandra Espinosa leads the team with 2.64 kills per set, totaling 111 on the year and is hitting .160. Freshman
Kennedy Kaminsky is averaging 2.11/set and leads the team with a .214 hitting percentage.
Samantha Boever paces the Eagles with 8.75 assists, totaling 490 on the year.
Catelyn Linke leads the team with 19 service aces, averaging .34 a set.
Defensively,
Puaoolelagi Sao leads the team with 3.83 digs/set, followed by Linke who averages 3.11.
Kamille Langford averages .87 blocks per set, followed by Kaminsky who averages .75. They have 45 and 42 total blocks on the year, respectively.
As a team, EWU is hitting .168 and their opponents are hitting .210. They rank in the top-100 in the nation in digs per set (57
th, 16.34) and attacks per set (65
th, 36.71).
A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS: Portland State is 1-15 overall and 0-4 in Big Sky play. The Vikings have lost 15 straight matches. Most recently, they faced Northern Arizona and Southern Utah at home, falling 3-0 and 3-1.
The Vikings are led offensively by Jenna Mullen who averages 3.18 kills per set with a .167 hitting percentage. Toni McDougald follows with 2.0 per set and is hitting .125.
Maddy Reeb leads the team with 6.51 assists per set, totaling 358 this season. Both Mackenzie Sullivan (3.38) and Hadley Heck (3.09) average over three digs per set. Reeb also has 14 aces on the year to lead the Vikings. Defensively, Katy Wilson averaged .82 blocks per set with 46 on the season. As a team, PSU is hitting .153 and allow their opponents to hit .261.
SERIES HISTORY: Thursday marks the 55
th all-time meeting between the two teams with the series tied, 27-27. Portland State has won the last two meetings, including a 3-0 sweep last season at Reese Court. The Eagles lead the all-time series 15-10 in Cheney, but have only won one out of the last 10 total meetings.
A LOOK AT THE HORNETS: Sacramento State is 8-10 overall and 3-1 in the Big Sky. The Hornets are riding a three-match win streak into Cheney, but make a stop at Idaho on Oct. 4. Sacramento State is currently tied for fourth in the conference standings. Most recently, the Hornets picked up a 3-1 win at home against Southern Utah and won in five sets against Northern Arizona.
Mikaela Nocetti leads the team with 3.84 kills per set, which is second in the Big Sky, and is striking .206. Ashtin Olin is fourth in the conference with 9.86 assists per set. Skyler Takeda leads the team and the Big Sky with .51 aces per set, totaling 37 on the year. Defensively, Lana Brown ranks second in the league with 1.27 blocks/set and Paige Swinney leads the team with 4.06 digs per set.
As a team, the Hornets rank in the top-100 nationally in aces per set (27
th, 1.67), blocks per set (31
st, 2.60), assists (49
th, 790), attacks per set (82
nd, 36.35), digs (19
th, 1,118), kills (41
st, 853), service aces (6
th, 120), attacks (10
th, 2,617) and blocks (2
nd, 187.5). They are also only allowing their opponents to strike at a .185 clip.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will be the 52
nd time that the two teams meet, with EWU trailing the all-time series 17-34. Sacramento State has claimed the last three meetings. The last two times the teams squared off, it came down to five sets with the Hornets taking the edge on both. Eastern owns the all-time series at Reese Court, 12-11.
WHAT'S NEXT: After the quick home stand, EWU hits the road for three more matches of Big Sky play. The road trip begins at Montana on Oct. 11 and Montana State on Oct. 13. The trip concludes at rival Idaho on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
