CHENEY, Wash. — In the final game of the regular season, Eastern Washington volleyball sent its only senior,
Sage Brustad, off with a win. The Eagles swept Idaho on Friday night, with good offense and aggressive serving. Eastern ends the regular season with a 6-10 conference record and 12-16 overall.
Bri Gunderson powered the offensive effort with 14 kills on a .600 attack percentage. EWU had seven aces against the Vandals, with a .303 attack percentage.
"We knew we wanted to perform and execute to end the season with momentum to take into the conference tournament next week," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We were not overlooking Idaho and we knew we had to play well. We wanted to play well to send Sage [Brustad] off with a win. It's been great having Sage. She is a six-rotation player. She has to handle a pretty heavy load and she has done an excellent job of that. Bri [Gunderson] has been playing well in matches and practice. She is excelling right now and we're glad we can get her involved wherever we can."
Eastern and Idaho battled it out early in the opening set, with five ties between the teams. With the score tied at 11, the Eagles went on a 5-0 run to separate from the Vandals. Two kills from Brustad and two blocks from Tanai Jenkins sparked the run. EWU's attacks continued to land and they extended the lead further. Gunderson provided three kills down the stretch and Eastern won the first set, 25-15, to lead the game.
The second set was another competitive contest between the Eagles and the Vandals. The teams tied 13 times and there were seven lead changes in the set. Gunderson continued to be effective, getting four kills to lead the Eastern offense. EWU led 23-19 before two-straight points from Idaho cut the lead down. Sadie Bacon and Gunderson each came up with a clutch kill to secure the set win, 25-21 over the Vandals. Eastern now led 2-0 in the game.
With the lead, Eastern cruised in the third set, hitting .429 with 14 kills. Gunderson elevated her game again, firing in six kills on six total attacks. EWU held Idaho to a .111 attack percentage in the set, with nine kills and six errors. The Eagles completed the sweep with a 25-13 win in the third set.
"We want to lower our errors in the tournament.We're going to have to be lower error to compete against the top teams in the conference," Haruguchi added, looking ahead to the Big Sky Tournament. "That's what they are doing and so if we can match that, I think we have a shot at being in those matches."
Eagle Notes
- Eastern had a 9.0 to 6.0 advantage in blocking against the Vandals. Tanai Jenkins led the Eagles with three solo blocks and one assist. Bri Gunderson added two solo blocks and one assist.
- Gunderson recorded double-digit kills and a hitting percentage above .500 for the fifth time this season. Her 14 kills was career-best at Eastern.
- Sage Brustad played her final game at Reese Court, finishing with four kills, two aces and one block assist, along with seven digs.
- Kalista Lukovich led the team with 10 digs for her 11th double-digit dig game this season.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will travel to Greeley, Colo. for the Big Sky Tournament next week, with the first round game on Wednesday, Nov. 22. The Eagles opponent is yet to be determined.
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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