PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Tournament started on Friday, with Eastern Washington volleyball playing two neutral site games. Eastern split its matchups with a win over CSU-Northridge, 3-2, in the morning, then falling to Wyoming, 0-3, in the afternoon. The Eagles are now 3-5 on the season, with one game left to play in the tournament.
"Overall, it was a very positive day for us. We played two very solid teams and you can start to see it all coming together at times," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We are still a work in progress and we keep working on being one-percent better with each opportunity we have."
Eagles vs. Matadors
The day started for Eastern Washington against CSU-Northridge and the Eagles defeated the Matadors, 3-2.
Sage Brustad led all scorers with 17 kills, while Kalista Lukovich added 14 and Bri Gunderson finished with nine. Kate Hatch was key in organizing the attack, tallying 44 assists.
Eastern was in control in the first set, hitting an astounding .522 on 23 total attacks. Gunderson had four kills and two blocks to lead the team to a 25-15 win and a 1-0 lead in the game.
CSUN evened up the game in the second set, winning 25-22 and hitting .308. The Eagles hit well enough at .250 but could not keep up with the Matadors.
The aggressiveness picked up for the Eagles in the third set, as the team unleashed 40 total attacks and notched 15 kills. The offensive surge came from Brustad who posted nine kills on .389 hitting. EWU led the game 2-1 after a 25-21 win in the third set.
Down in the game, the Matadors had their own offensive explosion in the fourth set, putting up 17 kills and hitting .333. CSUN tied the game at two with a 25-20 win in the set.
The game would come down to the fifth set and Eastern set the tone quickly with a 5-1 lead. The Matadors pulled the Eagles back and cut the lead to 6-7. With Lukovich serving, EWU went on a 4-0 run to give the team separation. Eastern cruised to a 15-9 set-five win and a 3-2 win in the game.
Brustad earned her fifth double-double of the season after getting 13 digs. Lukovich picked up her second double-double with 12 digs. The Eagles asserted themselves at the service line with 11 aces, getting four from Brustad and Hatch.
Eagles vs. Cowgirls
In Eastern's afternoon game, they faced off against Wyoming, but fell 3-0 to the Cowgirls.
Sage Brustad recorded 12 kills and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. She added three service aces.
Wyoming's offense was clicking in the first set, hitting at a .500 clip and earning 18 kills. Eastern hit .290 in the set, but could not match the Cowgirls and fell in the opening set 25-20.
Up 1-0 in the game, Wyoming continued to swing well and recorded a .303 hitting percentage in the second set. The Cowgirls held off the Eagles in the set for a 25-22 win and a 2-0 advantage in the game.
The offense continued to power Wyoming in the third set, racking up 15 kills on .419 hitting. With the steady offensive production, the Cowgirls closed out Eastern, 25-19. The Eagles had a .243 hitting percentage in the set.
Up Next
Eastern Washington closes out its tournament with a game against the host-school, Portland, tomorrow at 1:30 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.
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