CHENEY, Wash. — After a busy week at home, Eastern Washington teams spread out across the country this week. Football travels to California for a matchup against a ranked UC Davis team, with the game airing live Saturday night on ESPN2. Women's golf competes on the road in Missoula against an all-Big Sky tournament field the next two days. Soccer begins its Big Sky schedule with two home matches after an impressive win over Oregon State this past week. Volleyball also travels to Montana this week, with matchups against the Griz and Bobcats on the schedule. Cross Country competes in Spokane as the schedule moves closer to the postseason. Women's tennis competes in its second fall tournament this weekend against conference opponents. 

Football - at #15/#16 UC Davis (Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time) - ESPN2
Eastern Washington returns to the road this week and continues Big Sky competition as they travel to Davis, Calif. to play UC Davis on Saturday (Oct. 3). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff time. Fans can also listen to the game live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

The Eagles hosted Cal Poly this past Saturday and fell to the Mustangs 31-27 in a heartbreaking game. The teams traded scores throughout the game, with six lead changes but never tied. In the third quarter, Eastern scored to go up 27-21 on a four-yard touchdown run by Kevin Allen III. Poly scored a field goal to respond, and the game moved into the fourth quarter. With a minute remaining in the game, the Mustangs scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass. EWU moved the ball down the field looking to take back the lead, but could not find the end zone at the end of the game. 

Nate Bell passed for 253 yards on 23-of-37(62.1%) passing, with two touchdowns and two picks. Allen finished with 82 all-purpose yards and the score. The Eagles forced three turnovers in the game, with two interceptions - Jaylon Jenkins and Ambrose Marsh - and one fumble recovery, forced by Dishawn Misa and recovered by Bryce Smith. 

Bell is fourth in the Big Sky in completion percentage (62.1%), fifth in yards (1184) and sixth in touchdowns (8). His 212 rushing yards lead the Eagles and rank 13th in the conference, while his six rushing touchdowns are tied for third. 

Smith leads Eastern in tackles, tallying 49 - 25 solo - which places him third in the Big Sky. EWU is tied for third in the Big Sky with six interceptions. Jenkins and Marsh each have two, while accounting for five passes defended, ranking the pair fourth. 
 
EWU hosted the Kalispel Invitational last week and placed 11th in the home tournament at the Kalispel Country Club. Berkley Ledesma tied for 28th on the individual leaderboard, shooting 224 (+8) for the tournament. Ella Follen continued to develop in her freshman campaign, tying for 41st after shooting 228 (+12). 
  Eastern Washington women's soccer opens Big Sky Conference play at home this week, hosting Idaho State on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m. before welcoming Weber State to Cheney on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.

The Eagles enter conference play with momentum after closing out their non-conference schedule with a 2-1 victory over Oregon State. Eastern produced 25 shots against the Beavers, continuing an impressive start to the season that included five consecutive wins to open the year. The Eagles also battled Air Force to a 2-2 draw before earning the win over Oregon State.

Eastern has received contributions throughout its lineup, with Mia Miconi, Ella Hyde, Deanna Montero, Delaney Deckett and Maya Bossenbrook among the Eagles finding the back of the net this season. Payton Hyde has provided a steady presence in goal, opening the season with three consecutive clean sheets and producing several high-save performances.

Eastern now turns its attention to the Big Sky standings, beginning Thursday against Idaho State before closing the opening conference weekend against Weber State. The Eagles will look to take advantage of two home matches as they begin their pursuit of a third consecutive Big Sky Tournament appearance.
  Eastern enters the week looking to respond after opening its conference schedule at home against Weber State and Idaho State. The Eagles showed stretches of strong play during the opening weekend and will look to build consistency as they move deeper into the conference slate.

Kalista Lukovich continues to lead Eastern's attack after surpassing 1,000 career kills earlier this season. The senior has been a consistent offensive presence for the Eagles throughout non-conference play and into the opening weekend of Big Sky action.

Aspyn Reed has also emerged as a key contributor for Eastern. Reed led the Eagles against Idaho State with 10 kills while adding six digs and two solo blocks. Carlyn Rapozo-Kamoku has provided production on both sides of the ball, while Sidney Gray and Judith Bolomboy continue to anchor Eastern's presence at the net.

Defensively, Elle Bruegman has led the back row and recorded 17 digs against Idaho State. Setter Jailyn Davenport has helped direct the offense while contributing defensively, finishing with 13 assists and nine digs against the Bengals.

Eastern will look to carry the lessons from its opening conference weekend onto the road. Head coach Jon Haruguchi emphasized the importance of playing aggressively and confidently following Saturday's match, with the Eagles focused on continuing to develop throughout the Big Sky schedule.

The Eagles now turn their attention to another important week of conference competition as they look to get into the win column in Big Sky play. 

Women's Tennis - at Weber State Invitational (Friday-Sunday, Oct. 2-4, All Day)
EWU travels for the second competition of its fall slate this weekend. The team will be in Ogden, Utah, at the Weber State Invitational, starting Friday and concluding Saturday. The Eagles will compete in the three-day tournament against conference and non-conference opponents. 

This past weekend, Eastern hosted Seattle U for the EWU Showcase Tournament, playing matches both Saturday and Sunday. During the competition, the Eagles won multiple singles and doubles matches over the Redhawks. In total, EWU had four doubles wins and seven in singles. Sol Junquera and Noa Ribera went 2-0 in doubles, while Veronika Gayevyk had a singles and doubles win for the weekend. Aneliss Zamfirescu and Maria Lopez also both delivered a win in singles and doubles split over the two days. 

Cross Country - Frank Knott Classic (Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10:00 AM) 
Eastern Washington cross country returns to competition this week, racing at the Frank Knott Classic on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. The meet marks the Eagles' third competition of the season as they continue building toward the Big Sky Championships later this month.

Eastern last competed at the Montana Invite, where the women finished third with 88 points and the men placed fourth with 117. Sara Sanders led the women with a 10th-place finish in 18:40.7, while Rhiannon Davies followed in 14th. Ifechi Okoye, Hannah Lee and Emma Tomlinson rounded out the Eagles' scoring five.

On the men's side, Owen Higgins and Oliver Ledwith led the way for Eastern at the Montana Invite. The meet also provided valuable experience racing at altitude as the Eagles prepare for the Big Sky Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Saturday's Frank Knott Classic gives Eastern another opportunity to make progress as the postseason approaches. Following this weekend, the Eagles will have one final regular-season competition before traveling to Flagstaff for the Big Sky Championships on Oct. 30.
 

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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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