Eastern Washington volleyball will take a quick road trip down south to play Idaho on Friday, Sep. 30 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time in Moscow, Idaho.

Last Time Out
Eastern opened Big Sky competition last week with a road and home game against Montana State and Portland State respectively. The Eagles fell to the Bobcats, 0-3[21-25, 14-25, 18-25], and the Vikings, 2-3[25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 15-25, 7-15]. Against PSU, Eastern fell just short of pulling off the upset over the Vikings, with Alyssa Radke leading the team with a career-high, 16 kills and Sage Brustad adding 14. Brustad also recorded five service aces against PSU, along with 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Radke led the Eagles against the Bobcats with 15 kills.

Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Washington is 5-9 overall this season with a 0-2 mark in Big Sky games. The service line is a strength for the Eagles, averaging 1.75 aces per set to rank second in the conference. They have recorded 96 total aces this season. Eastern is fifth in the conference with 12.00 kills per set, recording 660 as a team.

Sage Brustad carries the offense for Eastern this season, averaging 3.71 kills per set to rank third in the conference and she is hitting .204. Brustad is also second on the team with 2.24 digs per set. The junior leads the Big Sky with 0.49 aces per set, totaling 27 this season.

Alyssa Radke provides the Eagles with a second productive scoring option, ranking second on the team with 2.76 kills per set and a .235 attack percentage. The sophomore has only improved in conference games, averaging 3.88 kills per set.

A key contributor to Brustad and Radke's success is the efficient play of Lindsey Russell. The senior is fourth in the conference with 9.56 assists per set. Russell is third on the team with 2.20 digs per set and has six double-doubles this season.

Sadie Bacon has stepped up for the Eagles this season, ranking third in the Big Sky with a .329 attack percentage. Bacon is third on the team with 2.05 kills per set. Rounding out her abilities, Bacon is tied for second on the team with 0.69 blocks per set, getting three solo and 35 assists.

Renata Lopez Morales leads Eastern's net defense with 0.92 blocks per set. She has 41 block assists and four solo blocks.

Scouting the Vandals
Idaho started conference play, 0-2, and is 3-11 on the season with a two-game losing streak. The Vandals dropped games to Big Sky opponents Sacramento State(1-3) at home and to Montana(0-3) on the road. Blocking is a strength for Idaho, with the team recording 2.20 blocks per set, having 101.0 total this season. The team ranks fifth in the Big Sky in blocking.

The go-to net defender for the Vandals is freshman middle hitter, Madison Wilson, who averages 0.96 blocks per set. Wilson has 11 solo blocks and 33 block assists and is eighth in the conference in blocks. On offense, freshman outside hitter Taryn Vrieling is the major contributor for Idaho, averaging 2.80 kills per set. Vrieling is hitting .161 this season and is 10^th in kills on the conference leaderboard.

Eastern Washington has a 23-40 record against Idaho in program history but has won the last three meetings. In the fall of 2021, Eastern defeated the Vandals in Cheney(3-1) and in Moscow(3-2).

Up Next
Eastern Washington will be back at Reese Court next week, starting with Weber State on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. The Eagles then host Idaho State on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.