Utah State Eastern women's volleyball team opened up the 2023 season over the weekend in Roswell, New Mexico. The Lady Eagles took part in the NMMI Classic which provided four intense matchups over the two-day tournament.
In their first matchup of the season against Odessa Community College, the injury plagued Lady Eagles struggled to find any rhythm against the Wranglers. Late in the third set USU Eastern found their chemistry but the effort came too late and Odessa defeated the Lady Eagles in a rare opening season loss with set scores of 15-25, 9-25, and 25-27.
Later in the day, Utah State Eastern emerged victorious against Tyler Community College clinching a 3-1 win in a tightly contested match. The scores of 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, and 25-22 showcased the intensity and competitiveness of both teams with Eastern coming out on top.
The team was led by
Rachel West's impressive 11 kills and
Ajah Rajvong's strong defense at the net.
Agata Makowska's strategic setting ensuring the team's hitters were well-positioned to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
The Lady Eagles continued their impressive performance on day two with a convincing 3-0 victory against Pima Community College. The scores of 25-18, 26-24, and 25-22 demonstrated Eastern's determination on the court.
Led by a balanced attack,
Lauren Hamilton's 7 kills and 3 kills by
Casidy Fried contributed to the team's impressive hitting efficiency.
Agata Makowska led with 14 assists, and
Kelsy Stanger's 5 kills played a pivotal role in dismantling Pima's defense. The team's defensive efforts were not to be outdone as
Rachel West and
Ajah Rajvong added 4 kills and 2 blocks, respectively and sophomore libero
Paige Shumway added 9 digs protecting the court.
In their final matchup of the game the Lady Eagles faced tournament host and fellow Top 10 opponent, New Mexico Military Institute. NMMI would clinch the 3-1 victory over the Eagles with set score of 25-20, 12-25, 20-25, and 18-25.
It was an impressive team effort against the 8
th ranked Broncos.
Agata Makowska led the charge for Utah State Eastern tallying 21 assists and 1 kill.
Casidy Fried's stellar performance was a highlight with an impressive 12 kills and 3 blocks showcasing her dominance at the net.
Kelsy Stanger had 5 kills and 3 blocks and
Lauren Hamilton's 8 kills contributed to Utah State Eastern's offensive dominance.
Paige Shumway added 7 digs and
Ajah Rajvong had 7 kills.
"It was exciting to see the progress and unity of our team in just two days of play," said head coach
Danielle Jensen. "A lot was learned from that first game and the team responded and made the adjustments quickly which was awesome to see. We need to make some adjustments on our defense and once we hash that out and have a healthy roster we are going to be in a great spot going forward in the preseason."
No. 9 Utah State Eastern (2-2) will now travel to Fort Myers, Florida to participate in the Battle of the Beaches Tournament hosted by defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Florida Southwestern State College. The Lady Eagles will compete against four historically elite programs during the two-day tournament. The action begins Friday, August 25 against Dayton State College (3-2) at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time.
