FARMINGTON, Utah — The Big Sky conference released its 2023 preseason coaches' poll and Eastern Washington volleyball was picked to finish eighth this season. 

The Eagles earned 28 points, eight points behind Northern Arizona for seventh and eight points ahead of Idaho State in ninth.

Defending champion Northern Colorado was selected to defend its title, getting eight of nine first place votes.

Head coach Jon Haruguchi completed his first season in Cheney with a 11-18 overall record and 6-10 in conference games. The team finished seventh and competed in the Big Sky tournament for the third consecutive season, falling in the quarterfinals to Portland State (1-3).

Sage Brustad and Alyssa Radke both earned All-Big Sky second team honors last season. 

Brustad led the team and was seventh in the conference with 3.30 kills per set while hitting .174. The Richland, Wash. native also ranked third in the Big Sky with 0.39 aces per set (45 total).

Radke was second on the team with 2.89 kills per set on .200 hitting. The Mesa, Wash. native was second on the team with 85 total blocks and averaged 0.77 per set.

Eastern Washington begins its season with an exhibition game against Central Washington on Tuesday, Aug. 22. First serve is at 1 p.m. from Reese Court.

The season officially gets underway on Aug. 25 when Eastern travels to Bakersfield, Calif. For a two-day tournament hosted by CSU Bakersfield. The Eagles will play the Roadrunners (Aug. 25), Southern Utah (Aug. 25) and Providence (Aug. 26) during the tournament.

2023 Big Sky Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll 
 

1. Northern Colorado (8) – 80
2. Weber State (1) – 69
3. Portland State – 61
4. Montana State (1) – 53
5. Sacramento State – 51
6. Montana – 41
7. Northern Arizona - 36
8. Eastern Washington – 28
9. Idaho State – 20
10. Idaho - 11

 

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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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