The preseason No. 20 Utah State Eastern women's volleyball team wasted no time facing ranked opponents in their season-opening tournament. The Eagles took their young roster, just two sophomores on their 15-player roster, to Roswell, NM to participate in the NMMI Classic. The Eagles were given the task of facing the preseason No. 1 Miami Dade College, No. 16 New Mexico Military Institute, No. 10 Eastern Arizona College, and No. 11 Casper College.
Eastern opened the tournament with the No. 1 Sharks in a match that swung MDC's way. The Eagles fell 25-11, 25-19, and 25-14 in a sweep by top-ranked Miami Dade. Presley Decker led the Eagles with five kills in the match and Selah Nickel recorded six blocks to lead the Eagles' defensive attack.
Hoping for a rebound, the Eagles next faced the hosts of the tournament, No. 16 New Mexico Military Institute. The Eagles battled the first set but fell 25-20. The next two sets were won by the Broncos, 25-16 and 25-11, giving No. 16 NMMI a sweep over Eastern. Madelin Newbold was the driving force offensively for the Eagles, tallying nine kills in the match. Selah continued her defensive campaign with another two blocks.
Saturday brought a new day and new opportunities for the Eagles. Their first opponent of the day was No. 10 Eastern Arizona. The Eagles won the first set in dominant fashion, 25-13. Despite late comeback attempts by the Gila Monsters, the Eagles held off EAC, winning the second and third sets by the score 25-23, giving the Eagles their first sweep and victory of the season. Kinsey Parsons had a strong performance for the Eagles, recording 10 kills, three aces, and three blocks in an all-around performance.
USU Eastern closed out the weekend with No. 11 Casper College. Carrying the momentum of their recent sweep, the Eagles won the first two sets of the match, 25-19 and 25-21. Casper managed to win the third set 25-16, but it was the Eagles who prevailed in the fourth set, 26-24, to win the match, 3-1. Newbold recorded her second match with double-digit kills, finishing the match with a team-high 15.
Next up for the Eagles is another four-game tournament that includes two more NJCAA ranked opponents. Matches will be played on Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29 in Taylorsville, Utah.
