SEATTLE, Wash. – Eastern Washington cruised past Chicago State in straight sets (25-9, 25-17, 25-16) to earn its second consecutive sweep to open the 2026 season.
"We're very pleased with the outcome today," said Head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "We were able to get a few other folks onto the court and they all contributed immediately. Super stoked and now we need to get prepared for what's next."
Kalista Lukovich led the Eagles offensively with 17 kills while hitting .500.
Jailyn Davenport dished out 26 assists,
Elle Bruegman recorded nine digs and
Aspyn Reed finished with six service aces. Eastern also totaled four blocks in the win.
The Eagles came out firing in the opening set, using a dominant performance from the service line to take a 25-9 win. Reed set the tone with two early aces as Eastern jumped out to a 5-0 lead before extending the advantage to 9-1 behind kills from Lukovich and
Judith Bolomboy. Chicago State cut the deficit to 10-6, but Eastern quickly regained control. Leading 14-9, the Eagles closed the set on an 11-0 run behind Reed's serving and four kills from Lukovich. Reed capped the frame with her fifth ace of the set.
Chicago State responded with a 5-1 start in the second, but Eastern steadily worked its way back, tying the set at 11-11 behind consecutive kills from Lukovich. The Eagles took the lead at 15-14 and then pulled away with a 7-0 run to build a 22-15 advantage. Lukovich fueled the stretch with three straight aces, while
Sidney Gray added a kill and teamed with Reed for a block.
Bria Carlisle added a late kill before
Carlyn Rapozo-Kamoku closed out the 25-17 set with a kill.
Eastern carried the momentum into the third, turning a narrow 9-8 advantage into a 15-8 lead with a 6-0 run. Reed recorded an ace during the stretch, while Lukovich and Bolomboy supplied kills. The Eagles continued to pull away, with Bolomboy and
Erin McInnes combining for a block before Reed pushed the lead to 22-13 with a kill.
Cassandra Moeller put Eastern at set point with a kill, and a Chicago State attack error sealed the 25-16 win and the sweep.
Eastern closes out the Seattle U Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. against host Seattle U.
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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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