BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The 2023 season began for Eastern Washington women's volleyball in the CSU Bakersfield tournament. The Eagles dropped its first two games of the season against the host Roadrunners (0-3) and Southern Utah (2-3).
"We did some good things today and you can see we're a work in progress," head coach
Jon Haruguchi said. "The team is still learning to play together and those lessons sometimes come with a steep price. Overall, I'm pleased with how we battled back against Southern Utah in our second match. We need to maintain a consistent message to the team, keep working to be one percent better with each opportunity. That's how we move the needle."
EWU vs. Roadrunners
Eastern dropped its first game of the 2023 season against CSU Bakersfield, 3-0. Sage Brustad and Kalista Lukovich each had 10 kills, while Kate Hatch accounted for 20 assists.
After dropping the first set, 17-25, Eastern battled back in the second. The set was competitive with five lead changes and nine ties. The Eagles held a 22-20 advantage, but the Roadrunners countered with three straight points to take a 23-22 lead. They managed to hold off EWU for the 26-24 win in the set and a 2-0 lead in the game.
The two teams stayed competitive in the third set. After CSUB had the lead midway through the set, the Eagles tied the score at 18 before a four-point lead at 22-18. Eastern extended the lead to 24-21, but the Roadrunners scored four-straight points to retake the lead. EWU managed to tie the game up three more times to extend the game. Tied at 27, the Roadrunners managed to string two points together to get the set and match win.
The Eagles had seven service aces and five errors, led by Brustad with three.
EWU vs. Thunderbirds
Eastern Washington faced its former Big Sky foe in the night game, falling to Southern Utah 3-2.
Sage Brustad notched her fourth career 20-kill game, while hitting .151. She added 11 digs for her 11th career double-double. Kate Hatch ran the offense, recording 44 assists. Bri Gunderson filled up the stat sheet with 12 kills on .375 hitting, adding six block assists.
SUU was in control in the first set, winning 25-19. Eastern rallied with a 25-23 win in set two to even the game up at one. The Eagles fired in 13 kills on .189 hitting to get the win in the set.
The Thunderbirds earned a 25-17 win in the third set to go up 2–1 on the Eagles.
Down in the game, Eastern focused during the fourth set. The team was trailing 23-24, but scored three straight points to extend the contest. Brustad accounted for two-of-the-three scores in the clutch, with a pair of kills.
SUU's offense exploded in the fifth set, dropping in nine kills and hitting .318. The strong offensive performance delivered the game win for the Thunderbirds.
The Eagles had an 11 to 6 advantage in blocks.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will finish its road trip to Bakersfield tomorrow (Aug. 26) against Providence at 11 a.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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