CHENEY, Wash. — The fall schedules are getting close to the end for Eastern Washington athletics, but the teams are focused down the stretch. On a five-match winning streak, volleyball hosts two more matches at Reese Court this weekend. Football takes a short road trip south to play Idaho in the annual rivalry game. Soccer closes out the regular season after securing a spot in the postseason this past weekend. Both the men's and women's basketball teams will be at Reese this weekend for exhibition games to tune-up for the regular seasons. Women's tennis has a close-to-home tournament, while men's tennis travels to Missoula.
Volleyball - vs Northern Colorado (Friday, October 25th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time), vs Northern Arizona (Saturday, October 26th at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time) - Get Tickets
Eastern Volleyball is riding high after a strong weekend, including a decisive sweep over Idaho State and a four-set win over Weber State. This week, they face a crucial home challenge, starting with the number one ranked team in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado on Friday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m., followed by a match against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 12 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Mckenna Collins earned her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week honor, after a stella performance this past weekend in the wins over Idaho State and Weber State. Over the weekend, Collins recorded a total of 29 digs, averaging an impressive 4.14 digs per set, along with 12 assists. In the match against Idaho State, she contributed 11 digs and five assists, while against Weber, she excelled with 18 digs and seven assists.
Eastern has faced Northern Colorado historically with a record of 6-27, but their last encounter in the Big Sky Tournament was a thrilling five-set victory, which surely gave them a morale boost. In contrast, they have a more favorable record against Northern Arizona at 9-15, having recently secured two consecutive sweeps against them.
Football - at No. 11/12 Idaho (Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time)
It might be a road game this week, but Eastern has a short trip for its next game as they go south to play No. 11/12 Idaho on Saturday. The Eagles will face the Vandals at the Kibbie Dome for a 6 p.m. kickoff. SWX will broadcast the game live and it can also be streamed on ESPN+. Follow the game from Cheney on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
EWU plays its fourth-consecutive game against a ranked opponent and goes on the road with a 1-2 Big Sky record and 2-5 overall. Idaho is 2-2 in conference, with a 5-2 overall mark for the season. They defeated Cal Poly at home last week, 34-29.
The Eagles hosted homecoming and No. 6 UC Davis this past Saturday, falling 48-28 to the Aggies. After trailing 28-9 at halftime, Eastern rallied with 14 points in the third quarter to cut the UC Davis lead down to 31-21. Following a Jackson Cleaver field goal in the fourth quarter to bring the lead down to seven, the Aggies scored 14 straight points to separate from the Eagles. EWU scored two more touchdowns in the fourth, but UC Davis matched one score and built a sizable lead to hold on for the win.
Kekoa Visperas threw for a season-high 319 yards, his fourth career 300-plus yard game, and was responsible for four touchdowns - two passing and two rushing. Efton Chism III caught a career-best 15 passes for 170 yards, scoring a 61 yard touchdown in the second quarter, also a career-long for the senior. Derek Ganter Jr. posted a career-best 11 tackles and added his first career sack.
Chism reclaimed the top spots in the Big Sky in receiving yards, with 750 total this season, along with eight touchdown receptions. After his career mark for receptions in a game, Chism's reception tightened his hold on the receptions per game average with 9.9 per game that leads the FCS. Visperas ranks third in the conference with 219.4 passing yards per game, while leading with a 73.8 completion percentage. His 251.6 total offensive yards per game average is second in the Big Sky and 12th in the nation.
Soccer - at Northern Colorado (Thursday, October 24th at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time) | ESPN+
After a successful week, Eastern Washington soccer (8-5-4, 3-1-3) will look for their first three match winning streak in their season finale. The Eagles will go on the road and take on Northern Colorado (3-13-1, 1-4-1) Thursday, October 24th at 3:30 pm, The match will be streaming on ESPN +
It will be the 33rd overall meeting between the Eagles and the Bears. Eastern is 5-12-5 all-time against Northern Colorado. Last season, Eastern fell to Northern Colorado 4-0 at home, and currently own a seven match winless streak against the Bears. Eastern is 2-6-2 all-time on the road against Northern Colorado, as the Eagles are 0-2-1 under head coach Missy Strasburg against the Bears.
Over the weekend, Eastern secured their first Big Sky conference road win in a 2-0 victory over Idaho State. Eastern would see a breakthrough at the end of the first half with a pass from Kendall Moore to Delani Walker in the midfield. Walker would then make a great turn and find Bella Bunnage above the box, who sank it to the back of the net to take 1-0 lead in the 41st minute. In the 61st minute, Chloe Pattison would secure the rebounded shot from Charity Freeman and record her 10th goal of the season, and cruise for the road win.
On Sunday, it was an emotional senior day for Eastern as they honored seven seniors who combined to play in 324 games with 189 starts during the past seasons. The Eagles fell behind early with a Weber State goal in the 10th minute. The offense responded in the 19th minute with Ryanne Ampi creating a great give and go opportunity with Delani Walker. Walker would let one fly just outside the box, but would hit the left post. It was then senior Charity Freeman who would be in the right place at the right time and record the equalizer to tie the match 1-1.
In the second half, Eastern would finally break through in the 58th minute, with a beautiful cross from Kendall Moore to Chloe Pattison who would record the go-ahead goal and her 11th goal of the season for the 2-1 lead. It would be the difference maker in the senior day 2-1 victory over the Wildcats.
The Eagles currently sit third in the Big Sky conference with 12 points. EWU is ranked first in the conference in corners (92), Penalty kicks (5-6), shots on goal (124), second in goals (30), scoring average (1.765), shots (259), assists (27), and points (87).
Chloe Pattison leads the conference in goals scored (11), shots (50), shots on goal (29), and points (25). Delani Walker and Kendall Moore are tied for second in the conference with five assists. Walker is also tied fourth in shots on goal (19), tied sixth in shots (35) and is tied for fifth in shots on goal (16). Moore is fourth in the conference in points (13), and Riley Arribas is tied for third in the conference with four assists.
Men's Basketball - vs Whitworth (Saturday, October 26th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time) - Get Tickets
Hoops season is officially here. The 2024-25 EWU Men's Basketball schedule tips off with an exhibition game against Whitworth on Saturday, October 26, at 4 p.m., offering fans a first glimpse of the revamped roster.
Under Coach Dan Monson's leadership, the Eagles are poised to build on their impressive 21-11 season and Big Sky Championship win. With six key players returning, including standout guards Mason Williams and Nic McClain, the team is well-equipped for success.
The addition of talented transfers like Angelo Winkle, Elijah Thomas, and Tyler Powell will enhance the squad's depth, while newcomers Sam Stockton and Pavlo Dziuba are also expected to make significant contributions.
The season kicks off with an exhibition before the Eagles face Colorado on November 4, followed by their home opener against Seattle University on November 6.
Women's Basketball - vs. Eastern Oregon (Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.) - Free Admission
Fans will get a chance to see the new-look Eagles for the first time on the new Reese Court this Sunday as they host Eastern Oregon for an exhibition game. The game will be an exhibition in preparation for the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Eastern's first regular season game will be on Monday, Nov. 4 against Washington State in Pullman.
Following the most successful season in program history, EWU returns eight players and brings in eight newcomers - five freshmen and three transfers. Alexis Pettis is the team's top returning scorer with 4.2 per game average. The senior guard played in 33 games with one start last season, averaging 14.2 minutes per game. Ellie Boni appeared in 26 games for the Eagles last season after transferring in from San Jose State, averaging 12.2 minutes per game and 2.4 points. She shot 30.8 percent from three-point range.
Eastern won a Big Sky record, 29 games last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history, with the first trip to the dance since 1987. The Eagles won their first ever Big Sky Tournament last season after securing the regular season title with a 16-2 conference record.
Head coach Joddie Gleason was named the conference Coach of the Year after the record-breaking season. It was the second consecutive season that Gleason guided the team to a 10-win improvement from the previous season. Jamie Loera earned Big Sky MVP, Defensive MVP, Big Sky Tournament MVP, All-Big Sky first team and All-Defensive team honors for the '23-'24 season.
Women's Tennis - at Gonzaga Invitational (Friday, October 25th- Sunday, October 27th)
Coming off a successful showing in the ITA Northwest Regional Tournament last week, Eastern Washington Women's Tennis will continue their fall tournament season in the Gonzaga Invitational, October 25th-27th in Spokane, Washington. It will be Eastern's second tournament of the fall season.
Last week, Freshman Zoe Pradel and Sara Vasic competed in their first collegiate events, with Pradel earning her first collegiate singles win. Eastern collected seven total singles wins in the tournament, and saw Kelly Arends and Leandra Nizetic earn a doubles win.
Kenzington Mann was the highlight of the tournament for the Eagles, and delivered a great performance on Friday, winning both of her singles matches to qualify for the main draw.
"I thought this was a great start to our fall season. I really like the dynamic of this team this year so far. The team is super supportive. They are great on and off the court together, which is a real priority for me and I think that just helps them be the best they can be on the court when they're a super supportive family type team which I love," Hinson said.
After a week off, the Eagles will finish the fall season off at the SDSU Fall Classic II, November 8th-10th in San Diego, California.
Men's Tennis - at Idaho State Invite. (Friday, October 4th- Sunday, October 6th)
After a week off, your Eastern Washington Men's Tennis will be back in action for their second tournament of the fall season. The Eagles will travel to Missoula, Montana and play in the Peak Tournament, October 25th-27th.
In the Idaho State Invite two weeks ago, six teams participated in the invite. In the singles consolation round, Tyler Dalos and Tyler Waddock earned a victory in their singles matches. For doubles, in the first round, Arshjot Bhatti/Tyler Waddock defeated Keanu Rigby (USU)/David Duong (BYU) 8-7 (7-5).
After the Peak Tournament, the Eagles will have another week off, and finish the fall season off in the Gonzaga Invite, November 8th-10th in Spokane, Washington.
Season and single game tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online at goeags.com/tickets via your Paciolan account, over the phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing tickets@ewu.edu.
Volleyball season and single-game tickets are now available, with nine home matches to watch! To purchase, go to www.goeags.com, or call the Eastern Washington University Ticket office at (509) 359-6059.
Season tickets for men's and women's basketball are now on sale. Reserve your seats at Reese Court for the 2024-25 seasons by clicking on the link here, emailing tickets@ewu.edu or calling the ticket office at 509-359-6059.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
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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