CHENEY, Wash. — The season will go on past next weekend, as Eastern Washington volleyball has qualified for the Big Sky Tournament. Eastern defeated Northern Arizona, 3-0, on Thursday night and improved to 5-9 in the Big Sky and 11-15 overall.
Sage Brustad was the team's leading offensive option, finishing with 13 kills, while Bri Gunderson dropped in 10 on .625 hitting.
"This was a really important match. Every match is important, but this one, this time of year, was really critical for us to come in and play solid volleyball," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We just want to make sure we are staying fluid and working together with communication. That was really the main emphasis for the match today; to keep the communication going. Mackenna Thayne came in and did a really nice job. Elle Bruegman came in and did a nice job. Some players that don't normally get opportunities came in for clutch situations. That really helped relieve some pressure on our other players. Bri [Gunderson] and Tanai [Jenkins] have been tearing it up in practice. Sadie Bacon has also been really good. Those three really anchor our team and generate a ton of points."
Brustad made the opening argument with authority, recording four kills for a 5-1 lead. EWU continued to swing well and extended the lead as the set went on. The lead grew to as many as nine at 22-13. Despite the lead, NAU surged back into the set with an 8-0 run the lead was down to one for the Eagles. Eastern tightened up and managed to hold off the Lumberjacks, getting a key ace from Kate Hatch, along with the clinching kill from Brustad. With a 25-23 set one win, EWU was up 1-0 in the game.
There was no let down in the second set, as the Eagles continued to remain in control. Eastern built an 11-8 lead with kills from Tanai Jenkins and Brustad. NAU did not fade in the game, tying the score at 15. The Eagles quickly responded with a 3-0 run. Following two points from the 'Jacks, EWU organized another 3-0 burst to lead 21-17. With the lead, Eastern held off NAU and won the second set, 25-19, and had a 2-0 advantage.
The fourth set was a competitive battle between the Eagles and 'Jacks. NAU had a 11-7 advantage early in the set. A 6-0 run from Eastern put the team back in the lead, with Thayne providing two kills. The 'Jacks jumped back in front after a 4-0 run at 15-13. After trading points, EWU retook the lead with Bruegman serving, highlighted by back-to-back aces by the true freshman. Now with the lead, Eastern maintained its advantage down the stretch, with Brustad providing the game-clinching kill. A 25-19 win in the third set gave the Eagles the sweep over NAU.
Eagle Notes
- Kate Hatch posted 23 assists in the game and surpassed 2000 for her career. The grad transfer was two assists shy going into the game.
- Eastern finished with six aces and three errors. Bri Gunderson and Elle Bruegman each had two aces.
- Sage Brustad notched 15 digs in the game for her 13 double-double this season.
- The Eagles had an 8.0 to 1.0 advantage in blocking. Gunderson was the go-to net defender, finishing with five total blocks - two solo and three assists.
- Makenna Collins recorded 10 digs and now has 993 for her career.
Up Next
Eastern Washington takes one day off and then returns to the court to play Northern Colorado on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 2 p.m. from Reese Court.
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
