POCATELLO, Idaho — The road trip is off to a good start for Eastern Washington volleyball as the team defeated Idaho State, 3-1, on Thursday night. Eastern used aggressive serving and strong blocking to earn the four-set win. The Eagles improve to 1-2 in conference and 7-8 overall this season.

Sage Brustad tallied a game-high 16 kills, with Kalista Lukovich adding 10. The team recorded 10.0 blocks against the Bengals. 

"I'm so very happy with tonight's win. I felt Taylor Muff prepared a great scout and we were able to execute it very well," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We keep preaching to the team about working to get one-percent better with each opportunity and our block really stepped up tonight."

Idaho St. was firing in the first set, recording 17 kills on 50 total attacks. Eastern was held to .115 hitting in the set but still had a chance to win at the end. The Eagles led 24-23, but the Bengals would tie and then take the lead, winning the set 27-25. 

EWU was much more efficient in the second set, hitting .258 with 13 kills. After the set was tied at 14, the Eagles went on a 5-0 run to give them separation. Eastern won the set 25-18 and tied the game at one. 

The Eastern offense stayed aggressive in the third set, racking up 50 total attacks and getting 15 kills. Brustad had five of her 16 kills in the set and Lukovich had four. The Eagles won the set 25-20 and took a 2-1 lead in the game.

With the lead, the Eagles focused in for the fourth set, hitting a cool .357. Brustad again was the key contributor, pouring in six more kills on nine total swings. Eastern raced to a 25-12 win and clinched the game, 3-1.

Eagle Notes

• Eastern had three players with two solo blocks including Tanai Jenkins, Bri Gunderson and Erin McInnes. Sadie Bacon had one solo block with two block assists, while Jenkins added two assists as well.
• Sage Brustad had 11 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. 
• Kalista Lukovich earned her fourth double-double with 10 digs on Thursday night.
• The Eagles had seven service aces and five errors. Kate Hatch led the team with three aces, while four other players had one. 
• Hatch and Jannie Blake each posted 21 assists. 
• Tanai Jenkins set a career-high with nine kills on 18 total attacks. 
• Makenna Collins earned a game-high 18 digs.

Up Next
Eastern stays on the road and will meet Weber State in Ogden, Utah on Saturday (Sept. 30) at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
 

---

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.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram