Eastern Washington volleyball prepares to head out on the road this week for two games, riding a two-game winning streak. Eastern will travel to Flagstaff, Ariz. to play Northern Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles then head to Greeley, Colo. and a matchup with head coach Jon Haruguchi's former team, Northern Colorado, on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m.

Last Time Out
Eastern played one game this past week at Reese Court, defeating Idaho 3-1[25-17, 25-19, 14-25, 25-19] on Friday night. Sage Brustad poured in 18 kills and Alyssa Radke added 13 kills, with five blocks to overpower the Vandals. 

The Eagles had six different players record aces in the win, with Sadie Bacon and Ka'ehukaiiha'amaina'e Keala each recording two.

Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Washington is 3-3 in conference games, with an 8-10 overall record this season. The Eagles' offense was productive in the team's winning streak, and they rank fifth in the conference with 11.97 kills per set and a .204 hitting percentage. The team also ranks third with 11.01 assists per set. Eastern excels at the service line, leading the conference with 1.79 service aces per set and 122 total recorded.

The offensive success of the team combines efforts from multiple areas. Sage Brustad ranks second in the Big Sky with 3.87 kills per set and is hitting .225 this season. The junior has eight games with 15 or more kills. Brustad is also third in the conference at the service line, with 0.44 aces per set. Additionally, Brustad is second in the Big Sky with a 4.51 points per set.

Lindsey Russell averages 9.61 assists per set to direct the Eastern offense and ranks fourth in the Big Sky. In the team's win over Idaho, Russell had 37 assists and she has 13 games this season with 30 or more assists.

Alyssa Radke provides a dynamic second scoring option for the Eagles, averaging 2.76 kills per set. Radke is hitting .229 this season and has 11 double-digit scoring games this season. Sadie Bacon continues to provide efficient scoring for the Eagles, ranking ninth in the Big Sky with a .301 hitting percentage. The sophomore is tied for third on the team with 1.90 kills per set.

Renata Lopez Morales is the top net defender for Eastern, averaging 0.94 blocks per set. She has five solo blocks and 53 block assists this season, recording one solo and two assists against Idaho this past week.

Scouting the Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona has struggled this season, holding a 1-6 record in conference games and 2-12 overall. The Lumberjacks traveled to play both Montana and Montana State this past weekend, dropping both games 2-3 and 0-3 respectively. NAU earned an upset home win over Northern Colorado(3-2) two weeks ago.

Despite the record, NAU has the Big Sky's leading scorer on its roster in senior outside hitter Taylor Jacobsen. Topping the leaderboard, Jacobsen averages 5.13 kills per set and also leads the conference with 5.63 points per set. Junior Millie O'Ketter leads the defensive effort for the Lumberjacks, averaging 4.53 digs per set, also ranking first in the Big Sky.

Eastern Washington has a 38-34 overall record against Northern Arizona, winning the latest matchup between the two teams. The Eagles defeated the Lumberjacks 3-1, at Reese Court last season. Renata Lopez Morales had a double-double, with 10 kills and 15 digs in the win.

Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado hosts Eastern Washington with a 4-3 conference record and 10-8 overall season. The defending Big Sky champions are on a two-game winning streak after defeating Montana State(3-2) and Montana(3-0) this past week on the road. The Bears have been a difficult team to defend against this season, ranking first in the conference in both kills(13.99) and hitting percentage(.269). The defense is also a strength for UNC, ranking fourth in opponent hitting percentage(.194) and blocks(2.20 per set).

UNC's offense runs through junior setter, Syd Cole, who leads the Big Sky with 11.23 assists per set. Cole sets up a potent Bears' attack, with three players ranking in the top 10 for kills per set in the conference. Graduate student outside hitter Kailey Jo Ince ranks fourth(3.44), with senior outside hitter Makenzie Harris ranking fifth(3.33) and senior outside hitter Rachel Hickman ranking 10^th(2.77). UNC net defense is attributed to freshman middle blocker Isabel Bennett and senior middle blocker Cece Huhn who ranks fourth and fifth in the Big Sky in blocks per set(1.05, 1.04).

Eastern Washington trails the all-time series against Northern Colorado, 9-26, and has dropped the past nine games. UNC swept Eastern in both games last season.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will return home next week to host Montana on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. and Montana State on Friday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.