CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern (10-9, 6-3) powered to a 3-1 victory over Northern Arizona (10-10, 3-6), driven by an exceptional performance from Bri Gunderson. She recorded 21 kills with an impressive .515 hitting percentage, along with ten blocks. Defensively, Kalista Lukovich led with 13 digs, while Jannie Black contributed 12 digs to the effort.
 
"I'm really proud of this team," said head coach Jon Haruguchi. "We didn't come out great, but we fought back in sets two, three, and four. It wasn't pretty at times, but it was effective in the end."
 
The match began with a tightly contested first set, where Northern Arizona took an early lead. After maintaining a steady four-point advantage, the Lumberjacks called a media timeout with a 15-11 lead. Eastern fought hard but ultimately dropped the first set 25-18.
 
In the second set, the Eagles came out strong, surging to a 4-0 lead thanks to the serving of Sadie Bacon and the front-line efforts of Gunderson and Quincy Moran. Though the Lumberjacks closed the gap to two points, Eastern maintained composure, leading 22-20 late in the set. After a timeout from NAU, the Eagles sealed the set with a 25-21 win.
 
Carrying their momentum into the third set, Eastern quickly established a 6-3 lead before NAU fought back to tie it at 6-6. The set became a fierce battle, but Eastern went on a 5-0 run to take a 20-15 lead, prompting NAU to call their final timeout. Gunderson dominated the closing points, and the Eagles finished the set 25-17 with a decisive stuffed block from Gunderson.
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair, featuring multiple lead changes. Eastern went on a critical 4-0 run to establish a 16-13 lead, forcing the Lumberjacks to call a timeout. The Eagles maintained their edge and ultimately won the set 25-20, clinching the match 3-1.
 
Gunderson reflected on the team's resilience, stating, "Our team knew coming into this game that we were going to have some people step up, and they did exactly that. I'm really proud of our team for battling through the adversity after going down in that first set. It was a great team win."
 
Up Next
The Eagles hit the road to take on Portland State on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m., and then Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m.
 
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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