The Utah State Eastern women's volleyball team faced tough competition over the weekend as they opened their season on the road in Taylorsville, Utah. The Lady Eagles took on Western Wyoming Community College on Thursday to begin their three-game tournament. Eastern looked sharp in their first match of the year as they swept the Mustangs in three sets with scores of 25-9, 25-23, and 25-16.
Freshman outside hitter
Haley McUne dominated at the net with 13 kills followed by freshman outside hitter
Kennedi Knudsen with 8 kills. Freshman setter
Katie Compas had 17 assists in the game. Freshman middle
Casidy Fried put up a wall on the net with 6 blocks and 4 kills. Knudsen and freshman libero
Paige Shumway took care of the court on defense with 14 digs a piece.
In a back-to-back matchup, USU Eastern looked to remain focused with 6
th ranked Miami Dade waiting anxiously to pick up their first victory of the weekend. A thrilling first set battle ensued with both teams battling back and forth in the end. With the first set score tied at 28-28, a fifteen-minute delay over a protested call ended in the Sharks favor giving them a one-point advantage. A service ace by the Sharks ended the rally with Miami Dade coming away with the victory and all the momentum. The frustration by USU Eastern visibly carried over to the following two sets as thirty team errors robbed any traction resulting in the final set scores of 19-25 and 19-25.
"You can't have that many errors against team like Miami Dade and expect to win," said head coach
Danielle Jensen. "The team couldn't shake the call at the end the first set and that made all of the difference with their performance on the court. We have a very young team and the loss, no matter how bad it stings, was a good learning opportunity for them."
McUne once again led the offense against the Sharks with 18 kills while Knudsen pounded down thirteen of her own. Compas led in assists with 18 and Shumway protected on defense with 15 digs with McUne adding fourteen of her own. Fried added 3 blocks and four kills in the contest.
Another tough team out of Florida would wrap up the Lady Eagle's opening weekend as they met Indian River State College on Saturday morning. USU Eastern rebounded powerfully with three wins against the Peregrines by scores of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-15.
The Lady Eagle outside hitter's put on a show for the numerous Eagle fans with Knudsen pounding 13 kills with a .417 hitting percentage and McUne added 10 kills with a .474 percentage. Freshman setter
Jenna Thorkelson organized the offense leading with 18 assists and on defense, Fried protected the net with 3 blocks and four kills. Shumway had 14 digs with Knudsen adding thirteen.
"Overall I am very pleased with how far the team has come over the past three weeks. We have a great group of young girls that are supporting one another whether on or off the court. We have a lot to work on but with this group of girls I'm confident they'll work hard to get the job done. That is why these preseason tournaments are so valuable," added Jensen.
The upcoming schedule for USU Eastern doesn't get any easier as the team travels to Fort Myers, Florida to take part in the Battle of the Beaches Tournament hosted by 4
th ranked Florida Southwestern. The Lady Eagles will not only take on the nationally ranked Florida team but will also have rematches against No. 6 Miami Dade, Indian River, and take No.16 Hillsborough.
For up-to-date scores, schedules, and promotions text the word "EAGLES" to 83200 or visit www.usueasternathletics.com
