The Utah State Eastern women's volleyball team earned two crucial victories over North Idaho College on Friday and Saturday, winning both matches 3-1 to gain ground in the Scenic West Athletic Conference standings.
The Eagles and Cardinals entered the weekend tied for third in the conference standings, making the two-match series an important opportunity for both teams.
Eastern opened Friday's match with a 25-17 victory in the first set and followed with another 25-17 win in the second, taking advantage of 10 North Idaho errors. The Cardinals responded in the third set, edging the Eagles 27-25 to extend the match.
With the fourth set on the line, Eastern held off North Idaho 27-25 to secure the 3-1 victory.
Sela Christiansen led the Eagles with 13 kills, while Madelin Newbold and Presley Decker each added 11. Eastern also forced 35 errors from the Cardinals.
North Idaho came out strong in Saturday's rematch, taking the opening set 25-22. Eastern responded with a 25-16 victory in the second set to even the match before taking control. The Eagles won the final two sets by identical 25-20 scores to complete the weekend sweep with another 3-1 victory.
Newbold and Decker again led Eastern with 11 kills apiece, recording double-digit kills in both matches.
The Eagles will hit the road for their final regular-season road trip when they travel to Reno, Nevada, to face Truckee Meadows Community College. The matchup will mark the first meeting between the two programs, with matches scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24.
