Eastern Washington women’s volleyball will be slightly closer to home this weekend as they travel south to Boise, Idaho for the Boise State Classic. The two-day tournament will have Eastern playing three games, starting with Southern Utah on Friday, Sep. 9 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Later that day, the Eagles will play Butler at 6 p.m. The tournament concludes on Saturday, Sep. 10 with Eastern taking on host Boise State, at 11:30 a.m.
Last Time Out
The Eagles were in Brookings, S.D. last weekend, playing two games against South Dakota State. Eastern won the first matchup, 3-2[25-21, 25-21. 18-25. 18-25, 18-6]holding off a rally from the Jackrabbits to win in five. The script flipped in the second matchup, as SDSU held off a rally from the Eagles to win in five sets[21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-14, 11-15].
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern is 2-3 on the season after playing almost half of its non-conference schedule.
The Eagles have been effective on defense, holding opponents to a .166 attack percentage that ranks third in the Big Sky. The team’s offense has also been productive, ranking fourth in the conference with 11.86 kills per set. At the service line, Eastern has recorded 40 service aces, which is tied for second in the Big Sky and rank second with 1.90 aces per set.
Sage Brustad powers the offense for Eastern, averaging 3.62 kills per set to rank fifth in the Big Sky. The junior recorded a career best in the five-set win over the Jackrabbits with 22 kills and had a .210 hitting percentage. Brustad earned her fourth career double-double in the second game against SDSU with 13 kills and career-best, 15 digs, while setting another personal record with six service aces. The six aces ware tied for the most by a Big Sky player in a single match in 2022. This season, Brustad is third in the conference with 4.26 total points per set.
Lindsey Russell is the director of the Eagles’ offensive success, posting 9.50 assists per set that is good for fifth-best in the conference. The senior notched double-doubles in both games, including a career-high of 56 assists in the Eagles’ win on Friday. Her 56 assists are the most recorded for a single game in the Big Sky this season. Russell averaged 10.20 assists and 2.90 digs per set in Brookings.
Renata Lopez Morales was key on the block against SDSU, recording 11 block assists for a 1.10 blocks per set average. Lopez Morales was also efficient in her offense, recording a .277 attack percentage with 21 total kills on 47 total attacks. Makenna Collins continues to be a steady presence in reception for Eastern, averaging 3.40 digs per set this past weekend, getting 34 total. The starting libero is fifth in the Big Sky with 3.86 digs per set.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
Southern Utah is 0-4 to start the season, dropping its only game last weekend to Cal State Fullerton, 2-3. The Thunderbirds started the season at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Weber State. The team lost to the Wildcats, 1-3, also dropping games to San Jose State(1-3) and UC Riverside(1-3).
Molly McDermott leads SUU with 2.47 kills per set and is hitting .240 this season. Rylee Achtzehn is right behind McDermott with 2.38 kills per set and a .244 attack percentage. Macy Short leads the team with 5.18 assists per set. Carissa Richie defends the net for the Thunderbirds, averaging 0.67 blocks per set, recording nine block assists and one solo.
Southern Utah is playing its first season out of the Big Sky and Eastern is 9-7 against the Thunderbirds in program history. Last season, the Eagles swept the season series against SUU, 3-2 in Cedar City, Utah and 3-0 at Reese Court.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Butler enters the weekend with a 4-2 record but has dropped its last two games. The Bulldogs opened the season at home, hosting the Top Dawg Challenge. In the tournament, Butler defeated Eastern Illinois(3-1), Oakland(3-0), and Akron(3-2). The team then traveled for the Denver Invitational, hosted by Denver University. The Bulldogs defeated Hofstra(3-0), but fell to the host Pioneers(1-3), along with Portland(0-3).
The Butler attack is led by Mariah Grunze and her 3.05 kills per set on a .163 hitting percentage. The starting setter for the Bulldogs is Cora Taylor, recording 8.56 assists per set, with 137 total this season. Butler has a pair of strong net defenders in Autumn Flowers and Marisa Guisti. The two middle blockers average 1.00 blocks per set, accounting for nine solo blocks and 38 block assists combined.
Eastern Washington has a 1-0 record against Butler in program history, with the lone matchup taking place in September of 1990. The Eagles defeated the Bulldogs, 3-1, at a neutral site game in Athens, Ga.
Scouting the Broncos
Boise State started the season 4-1 and is on a two-game winning streak. This past weekend, the Broncos went 1-1 in Long Beach, Calif., defeating Notre Dame(3-1) and losing to Long Beach State(1-3). Boise St. played Idaho State on Monday, defeating the Bengals, 3-1. The Broncos opened the season with two games against Saint Mary’s, defeating the Geals 3-0 and 3-1.
Paige Bartsch is the top offense threat for Boise St., averaging 4.17 kills per set while hitting .207. Ashley Hayden is the main facilitator of the offense, averaging 10.11 assists per set, with 192 total. Chey Day has been important to the Broncos’ early success, averaging 1.29 blocks per set, with five solo and 17 assists. In reception, Allison Casillas is the team’s key defender with 3.37 digs per set and 64 total in 19 sets played.
Eastern Washington has played 46 games against Boise State in program history. It is the 10th most games played against a single opponent in Eastern’s history, and they have a 19-27 record versus the Broncos. The Eagles have not played Boise St. since September of 2014 when they fell 0-3 in a neutral site matchup in Moscow, Idaho.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will have a Tuesday night game against cross-town foe, Gonzaga, on Sep. 13 at 6 p.m. in Spokane, Was.
