CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern (9-8, 5-2) extended its five-game win streak with a hard-fought victory over Weber State (7-11, 4-3), triumphing in four sets.
Bri Gunderson was the standout performer, leading the offense with 13 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .478.
Alyssa Radke also made significant contributions, adding ten kills, while defensively,
Makenna Collins excelled with 18 digs and Gunderson recorded nine blocks.
"It was a great team win," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "Weber State is a tough team, and we knew that coming into today. They are very well coached, and we knew we had to play excellently to come out with a victory, and I'm just really proud of this team."
"I think our team did very well battling back after dropping that first set," Gunderson reflected. "We didn't let that first set affect us and we came back those next three sets with authority. I'm really proud of the way this team was able to battle and get the win. I'm proud of the way that we played and ready to continue this win streak."
The match began with Eastern taking an early lead, but Weber State quickly knotted it up at 6-6. The teams battled closely, and despite Eastern holding a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout, the Wildcats surged ahead with a five-point run. Eastern fought hard but ultimately dropped the first set 26-24.
Kicking off the second set, Eastern jumped to a 6-2 lead. Although Weber State closed the gap to one, Gunderson delivered a crucial kill to break their momentum. The Eagles pushed ahead to an 11-6 lead, prompting Weber to call a timeout. Eastern's offense peaked, pulling to its largest lead of the set at 19-12. Despite Weber's efforts to rally, Eastern clinched the second set 25-23 with a decisive block from Radke and Gunderson.
The third set showcased a back-and-forth battle, with Eastern gaining the upper hand through a critical 5-1 run. Although Weber State fought back to within one point, Eastern regained control and pulled ahead to an 18-12 lead, forcing the Wildcats to use their first timeout. The Eagles maintained their momentum and took the set 25-16.
In the fourth set, Weber State started strong with a quick 2-0 lead, but Eastern quickly equalized, led by the strong front line of Gunderson, Radke, and
Quincy Moran. After the Eagles pulled to a four-point lead, the Wildcats called their final timeout. The set was tightly contested, but Eastern ultimately prevailed 25-22, sealing the match with a 3-1 victory.
Up Next
Eastern will continues its home stint with Northern Colorado on Friday, Oct. 25 at 11 a.m., and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 12 p.m., against Northern Arizona.
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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