MOSCOW, Idaho — With a short road trip, Eastern Washington volleyball made sure to feel right at home in Moscow. Eastern defeated Idaho, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon, holding the Vandals to a .147 attack percentage. The Eagles improve to 3-6 in the Big Sky and 9-12 overall.
Bri Gunderson led the team in scoring with 13 kills on an astounding .571 attack percentage. Erin McInnes added nine kills on .250 hitting.
"I'm pleased with the outcome of today's match. We needed it," head coach
Jon Haruguchi said. "Our team has been working so hard and coming up a bit short the past couple of weeks. It's nice to validate their efforts with a win."
EWU jumped out on the Vandals in the first set, building a 10-3 lead. Jannie Blake delivered with two aces to power the run. Idaho pulled the score back to 15-11, before they suffered from a string of attack errors that left them down seven. Blake continued serving well, registering another two aces in the set. Eastern opened with a 25-18 set-one win for a 1-0 lead in the game.
Idaho pushed back in the second set, posting a .400 hitting percentage with 13 kills. Eastern had 13 kills in the set, but was held to .200 hitting. The Vandals earned a 25-17 set win to tie the game at 1-1.
Now in the third set, the Eagles opened in control of the set, leading 12-4. Gunderson drove the run with four kills. Eastern continued to swing well and McInnes provided the clinching kill for a 25-18 win in the set. EWU led the game 2-1.
The Eagles kept their momentum into the fourth set, hitting .250 with 14 kills. Eastern built a 10-4 lead, giving the team enough separation from the Vandals. Gunderson had four kills in the set and Kate Hatch recorded a pair of aces. EWU closed out Idaho, 25-20, for the 3-1 win in the game.
Eagle Notes
- Eastern had 11 aces in the game, with nine errors. Jannie Blake and Kate Hatch each finished with five aces, along with each setting career-highs.
- The Eagles defended the net well, earning 11.0 blocks. Bri Gunderson led the defense with six total blocks - one solo and five assists. Tanai Jenkins and Erin McInnes each had five block assists as well.
- Makenna Collins tied for the game-high with 13 digs.
- Eastern finished with 43 kills and had a .189 hitting percentage.
Up Next
Eastern will be back at home next week for two games, hosting Weber State on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. and Idaho State on Oct. 28 2 p.m.
New for the 2023-24 season, the EWU Women's Sports Pass gives fans access to over 30 Eagle Athletics events, including volleyball, soccer and women's basketball for only $5 per game! Learn more and get yours today at goeags.com/tickets or call 509-359-6056.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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