CHENEY, Wash. — It's conference time for Eastern Washington athletics as three teams will begin competition against Big Sky foes this week. Volleyball hosts the lone home event for the Eagles on Saturday against Montana, while Football heads back to California to face another ranked opponent in UC Davis. Soccer looks to use its experience from its tough non-conference schedule in two Big Sky road matchups.
Football — Saturday, Sept. 23 at #15 UC Davis (7 p.m.)
The Eagles look to build off their nailbiting 40-29 home-opening win over no. 19-ranked Southeastern Louisiana last Saturday with a night battle against no. 15 UC Davis on the road. The Aggies are 2-1 on the season and ranked 15th in both the Stats Perform (media) and AFCA Coaches polls. Eastern, at 1-2, is outside the top 25 but received votes in both.
Last week's win, highlighted by a career-best 349 yards passing from QB Kekoa Visperas and another lights out performance by the Eagle defense, was the team's first win over a ranked opponent since 2021, when they beat #6 UC Davis on the road, 38-20. The Eagles were ranked #7 at the time.
Eastern looks to keep its perfect record against the Aggies intact; they are 10-0 all-time dating back to the first head-to-head matchup back in 2005. The 2021 top ten showdown was the most recent, and this year will mark the third-straight road game for the Eagles in the series (4-0 all-time in Davis).
Several people on the Eagle coaching staff have familiarity with UC Davis. Offensive coordinator
Jim Chapin coached special teams and running backs there from 2015-16. Defensive coordinator
Jeff Copp also had an extended stint at Davis, including time with defensive backs, special teams and linebackers from 2009-15. Cornerbacks coach
Wes Nurse coached corners and was the director of football operations at UCD from 2015-18, and linebackers coach
Eric Sanders is an Aggie alumnus, graduating in 2005 before beginning his coaching career as a student assistant with the program.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on the radio via 700 ESPN & The Varsity Network app, and on
streaming video via ESPN+.
Volleyball — Get Tickets (Saturday vs. Montana: 2 p.m.)
Volleyball begins its Big Sky schedule this week, playing a road and home game. The Eagles open against the defending champions Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. on Thursday at 5 p.m. PT. EWU then returns for the home conference opener against Montana on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Reese Court.
The Eagles finished the non-conference schedule with a 6-6 record, going 2-1 this past weekend. The team swept Gonzaga this past Thursday (Sept. 14) for the program's first win over the Bulldogs since 2009. Eastern defeated the 'Zags for a second time on Saturday night (Sept. 16), 3-1 at the Gonzaga Tournament in Spokane.
Sage Brustad had a career game Saturday, with 26 kills and 20 digs.
Sadie Bacon also set a career-high with eight total blocks - two solo and six assists. Eastern had season-highs with 71 digs and 14.0 total blocks. The team fell to San Diego in the first game of the road tournament, 3-0.
EWU leads the Big Sky with 1.93 aces per set, recording 85 total. Brustad is second in the conference with 0.53 per set, but leads with 24 total. Kate Hatch ranks 10th with 0.36 per set and has 16 total. Brustad is also second on the conference leaderboard in kills per set (3.93) and first in points per set (4.79). Hatch is fourth with 8.69 assists per set.
Soccer
Big Sky play begins this week for soccer as the team opens against Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho on Thursday (Sept. 21). The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles stay on the road to travel to Ogden, Utah to play Weber State on Sunday (Sept. 24) at 12 p.m.
This past week, Eastern closed out its non-conference slate on the road, going 0-2. The first game of the week had the Eagles falling to UC Davis, 3-0. On Sunday (Sept. 17), Eastern almost completed the comeback against Nevada, but lost 3-2. The team trailed 3-0 at halftime, but second-half goals from
Maddie Morgan and
Corina Froehle cut the lead down to one.
Morgan's goal was her 11th this season and she now has 26 in her EWU career. She leads the conference goals, shots on goal (20), points (24), while tying for first in total shots (27)
Tickets for the 2023 EWU Football season are now available! Visit goeags.com/tickets or call the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 to secure yours today.
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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