Entering a critical weekend against conference foe No. 12 Snow College, the Utah State Eastern women's volleyball team needed one or two wins to strengthen its position in the Scenic West Athletic Conference standings. The Eagles split the weekend with the Badgers, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win Friday's match before falling in three sets Saturday.
Eastern quickly found itself in a 2-0 hole Friday after Snow won the opening two sets, 25-21 and 25-21. Facing elimination, the Eagles battled back in the third set, earning a 27-25 victory to extend the match.
From there, Eastern took control. The Eagles dominated the fourth set, 25-11, to force a decisive fifth set. Carrying the momentum from the previous two sets, Eastern held off Snow 15-12 to complete the comeback and earn a 3-2 victory.
Alivia Manning led a strong defensive performance for the Eagles, recording 11 kills and 10 blocks in the match.
Looking for a weekend sweep, Eastern faced a Snow team determined to respond Saturday. The Badgers jumped out to an early lead, taking the opening set 25-16. Snow continued to control the match in the second set, winning 25-12 to take a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles were unable to mount another comeback in the third set, falling 25-17 as Snow completed the 3-0 sweep.
Eastern committed 21 errors in the match, helping fuel the Badgers' attack. Madelin Newbold led the Eagles with six kills.
Eastern will return home next weekend for a two-match series against North Idaho College. The Eagles enter the weekend with an 11-10 overall record and a 4-2 conference mark, placing them in a three-way tie for third with Snow College and North Idaho.
Matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday at the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center.
