CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington (12-12, 8-6) completed the season sweep over Idaho (1-24, 0-14), as they secured the 3-0 victory.
Bri Gunderson led the team with 6 aces, 9 kills, and 3 blocks.
Kalista Lukovich matched Gunderson's 9 kills, contributing equally to the Eagles' offensive effort.
Sadie Bacon was a standout at the service line, adding 3 aces to the team's total. On the set-up side,
Jannie Blake and
Kate Hatch each played key roles, recording 14 and 13 assists, respectively.
We had a great team win against Idaho tonight," said senior
Kate Hatch. "We executed very well at the service line and at the net tonight. I feel
Bri Gunderson,
Kalista Lukovich, and
Tanai Jenkins had a great match tonight. To our seniors, we are just so thankful for all of the hard work they have put in this season and the years before."
The first set began with an overruled call in favor of the Eagles, setting the tone early. Eastern followed up with an impressive six-point run, which included two aces from Bacon, pushing the score to 6-0 and prompting Idaho to call its first timeout. Despite the break, Idaho couldn't slow the Eagles down, and after Eastern extended its lead to 11-2, the Vandals used their second and final timeout of the set. The Eagles maintained their dominance, closing out the set with a decisive 25-4 victory.
Idaho struck first with a kill down the middle, but Eastern Washington quickly responded. The Eagle offense went on a 6-0 run, pulling ahead 13-4 and forcing the Vandals to call their first timeout of the set.
Mackenna Thayne and Bacon then caught fire, contributing three of Eastern's next five points to extend the lead to 20-7. EWU's momentum was unstoppable as they cruised to a 25-11 victory in the second set.
Set three began as a back-and-forth battle, with Idaho staying close to Eastern pace. The Eagles managed to pull ahead, leading 15-10 as the teams reached the media timeout. After the break, the Vandals mounted a rally, narrowing the gap to just two points. However, Eastern Washington regained control, finishing strong to take the set 25-20 and complete the 3-0 sweep.
Up Next
The Eagles will hit the road for their final Big Sky regular season match up against Northern Arizona on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m., and close out the regular season with Northern Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 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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