CHENEY, Wash. — The records have reset to zero and now it's only about one game at a time. Eastern Washington volleyball opens postseason play on Wednesday (Nov. 22) at the 2023 Big Sky Tournament. The Eagles finished seventh in the conference standings and will play the regular season runner-up, Northern Colorado, in the first round of the tournament at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Eastern finished the regular season with a 6-10 conference record and 12-16 overall. The team was 6-6 at Reese Court while going, 4-7 on the road and 2-3 in neutral games.
The Eagles enter the tournament having won two of its last three games. EWU swept Idaho (11/17) in the final regular season game, while sweeping Northern Arizona (11/9) two weeks ago.
In the non-conference slate, Eastern earned two victories over Gonzaga 3-0 and 3-1, the first wins over the 'Zags since 2009. The Eagles also had wins over Portland (3-2), Seattle (3-1) and Providence (3-1).
The conference schedule was highlighted by a home sweep of Weber State on Oct. 26. Eastern overpowered the Wildcats [25-16, 25-17, 25-11] led by Sage Brustad's 11 kills and 11 digs. Another key result was a 3-1 victory over Portland State on Oct. 7. Brustad again led the team in kills with 15 and she added 10 digs for the double-double.
Brustad is Eastern's top offensive threat, averaging 3.37 kills per set to lead the team. In the Eagles' road game against Portland State (11/4), Brustad notched her 1000 career kill. She has a .155 attack percentage this season and adds .042 aces per set, with 43 total this season. Her 2.64 digs per set is third on the team.
Eastern is second in the Big Sky with 1.63 aces per set, dropping in 93 total this season.
Makenna Collins leads the team in digs with 3.96 per set with 404 total this season. Against Northern Colorado (11/11) two weeks ago, Collins recorded her 1000 career dig. The junior ranks sixth in the Big Sky in digs per set. Collins improved to 4.12 digs per set during conference games that ranks seventh on the leaderboard.
Bri Gunderson leads the Eagles with 1.17 blocks per set and a .304 attack percentage. She ranks second and seventh respectively on the conference leaderboard in the two categories. In Big Sky games, Gunderson averages 1.32 blocks per set and is hitting .311, to rank second and eighth in conference.
As a team, Eastern ranks second in the Big Sky with 2.65 blocks per set.
Kate Hatch averages 6.23 assists per set this season, totaling 635. Hatch recorded her 2000. career assist against her former team, NAU, earlier this month.
Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado went 12-4 in the Big Sky and 17-10 overall this season. They are currently on a seven game winning streak, including a 3-1 win over the Eagles.
The Bears rank second in the Big Sky with a .240 hitting percentage, while ranking third with 13.01 kills per set. They average 11.32 assists to rank fifth. Isabel Bennett leads the conference with a .356 attack percentage. Syd Cole is second in the Big Sky with 9.85 assists per set. Makenzie Harris leads UNC and ranks fifth in the conference with 3.42 kills per set.
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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