Eastern Washington volleyball was in Ogden, Utah tonight (Nov. 5) for its second matchup against Weber State this season. Eastern was not able to keep up with the Wildcats, in a 0-3[24-26, 20-25, 19-25] result. The Eagles record now sits at 4-8 in the Big Sky and 9-15 overall. Weber is now 9-3 in conference and 15-8 overall.

"I was very pleased with so much of what we did tonight. We came back from several good-sized deficits and managed to give ourselves a chance to win the first set," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "I know this is another match that will need to be dissected so we can keep improving. We've got another short week before we hit the road and we've got a lot to do to prepare." 
 
Starting out, Eastern limited the Wildcats to only a one-point lead. The Eagles trailed 7-8 before WSU launched a 7-0 run to seemingly separate in the first set. Eastern was unfazed and put together a 9-2 stretch to tie the set up at 17. Sage Brustad provided two kills and a block assist during the run to even the score. The Eagles would stay hot and strung together another run, this time a 7-3 stretch that put the Wildcats on the brink of losing the opening set. In a dramatic reversal, Weber scored six-straight points to stun Eastern in the first set, 26-24. Weber had a 1-0 set lead with the comeback in the first set.

The Eagles were held to a .023 attack percentage in the set, while the Wildcats hit only .162.

To begin the second set, the teams replicated the first set with a close contest. Continuing the trend, Weber then jumped ahead with a 5-0 run for a 13-7 lead. Brustad continued to score for the Eagles, and she got help from Alyssa Radke and Tanai Jenkins to keep the Wildcats in striking distance. Weber's hitters were step-for-step with Eastern and kept their advantage over the Eagles. Trailing 17-22, Brustad fired in two kills, aided by a block from Jenkins and Radke, to cut the lead down at 20-22. The Wildcats reset and closed on a 3-0 run for the 25-20 win in the second set and a 2-0 lead in the game.

Eastern improved its efficiency, hitting .214 in the set, but Weber improved significantly at well, with a .293 percentage.

Heading to the third set, the Wildcats jumped out quickly on the Eagles with a 4-1 lead. Radke and Jenkins linked up to disrupt the Weber attack at the net, getting two blocks to pull within one at 4-5. A 7-1 stretch for the Wildcats gave them momentum and put the Eastern back on its heels. The Eagles continued to compete, as Katie Fleck found her swing with two kills. The teams settled into trading points, but Eastern needed to string kills and stops together in order to extend the game. A late 3-0 run from Weber secured the game in a 25-19 third set win to get the sweep of the Eagles. Eastern struggled with its offense, hitting just .038, while the Wildcats closed out the game with a .261 percentage.

Eastern Washington had a .098 hitting percentage in the game and Weber State finished with a .238 percentage.

Key Statistics
Sage Brustad was tied for the game-high in kills with 12, while Weber St.'s Ashley Gneiting also had 12. The junior now has double digit kills in 17 games this season for Eastern.

Makenna Collins recorded 13 digs against the Wildcats for her 15^th game this season with double digit digs.

Tanai Jenkins matched her career high with five block assists on Saturday night. The sophomore has three games this season with five block assists.

Eastern earned five service aces and had six service errors in the game. Weber finished with four aces and five errors.

The Wildcats had a 45 to 38 edge in digs.

Katie Fleck returned to the lineup with a solid night, finishing with six kills on 14 total attacks, carrying a .286 attack percentage.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will have its final road trip of the regular season next week, when the travel to play Sacramento State and Portland State. Eastern visits the Hornets on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time and the Vikings on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.