RIVERSIDE, Calif. – For the first time since the 2014 season, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team is 2-0. In their second match of the Titan Classic today (Aug. 25) the Eagles topped Akron 3-1 (25-20, 14-25, 25-20, 25-15). The Eagles won't have much time to rest, as they'll face hosts UC Riverside this evening at 7 p.m. to close out tournament play.
 
"Our team is excited. We've seen a lot of success playing in our system and not worrying about a ton of different factors. We've focused on playing in our system, with each other and for each other," said head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud. "We won the serving and passing battle today and our side out percentage reflected that."
 
Both sides exchanged points through the beginning of the first set with neither team able to break away. With the set tied 9-9, the Eagles used a 5-1 run to lead 14-10. The Zips were able to creep back and cut Eastern's lead to 18-17 forcing a timeout. After that, the Eagles were able to capitalize on Akron's errors and a kill from Alexandra Espinosa to lead 22-19. In the first set, Eastern finished off the Zips with three-straight points that included back-to-back kills from Kamille Langford and one from Espinosa to win 25-20 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Eagles could never quite find their footing in the second set as Akron went on a 5-0 run to close it out, 25-14, tying the match 1-1.
 
Eastern Washington would not be down for long, as they took a 14-8 lead in the third set. Tied 8-8, a 6-0 run by the Eagles that was highlighted with kills from Kennedy Kaminsky, Langford, Espinosa and MaKenna Davis helped give EWU the lead. The Zips tried to chip away at Eastern's lead, but another 4-0 run that included back-to-back service aces from Catelyn Linke helped Eastern extend its lead to 21-12. Akron strung together three straight points towards the end of the set but it wasn't enough, as Espinosa hammered down the set-winning kill to give Eastern a 25-20 set three victory and its lead back in the match, 2-1.
 
In the pivotal fourth set, Eastern found themselves up 9-7 only to extend its lead to 14-7 after a 5-0 spurt. A turning point in the fourth set, EWU used a 7-1 run over the Zips to send them down for good, leading 22-11. Freshman Parker Buddy's first kill as an Eagle turned out to be the set-winner, giving Eastern a 25-15 win as they cruised to their second-straight victory with a 3-1 win over Akron.
 
WIN-LOSS RECORDS: With the victory, Eastern Washington is now 2-0 on the young season while Akron falls to 1-1. This is the first meeting between the two programs. Eastern now improves to 2-4 all-time against teams from the MAC.
 
WHAT IT MEANS: The Eagles are now 2-0 on the season for the first time since 2014. With one more match tonight, they have a chance to sweep the Titan Classic and improve to 3-0 for the first time since the 2002 campaign.  
 
TOP PERFORMERS: Alexandra Espinosa led the way with a career-best 15 kills, followed by MaKenna Davis who had 11. Samantha Boever turned in a double-double with a team-leading 36 assists and 10 digs. Kamille Langford lead the team with eight blocks and also led the Eagles in hitting percentage with a .444 clip (8k-0e-18ta). Catelyn Linke led Eastern with a career-high three service aces and also had nine digs.
 
KEY STATS: Service errors hindered the Zips, as they committed nine and Eastern committed five. The Eagles were also able to outblock Akron, 10-4. While Akron compiled 51 kills, Eastern swung at a .232 clip, only committing 17 hitting errors to the Zips' 22.
 
NOTEABLES: ShaRae Niu and Kaitlin Sugai made their Eagle debuts this morning. Alexandra Espinosa set a new career-high in kills in 15. Samantha Boever had Eastern's first double-double of the season with 36 assists and 10 digs.  
 
WHAT'S NEXT: Eastern Washington is back in action this evening for the final match of the Titan Classic. They take on the hosts UC Riverside with first serve set for 7 p.m.
 
MORE FROM FLORES-CLOUD:
 
On Bouncing Back after Set Four: "We won the serving and passing battle and our side out percentage reflected that. That's what won us the game. We did a lot better with our hitting percentage today and we kept getting better at making less errors. When we had the ball, we took big swings and when we didn't we were keeping it in play and putting it in smart spots. That was the key."
 
On Veteran Performances: "Both Alexandra Espinosa and MaKenna Davis had a great game for us. The defense that Akron played left some really nice opportunities for them and it was valuable to have a great game. It played into their favor. Kamille Langford also had a great game, she was huge for us today."
 
On Facing UC Riverside Tonight: "We can still improve at our out of system and our communication during the play. Tonight is another opportunity for us to get better at that and that excites me."