By Calvin Jensen, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor
The nationally-ranked USU Eastern women’s volleyball team did not disappoint in their conference home opener Thursday night. With an impressive home crowd cheering them on, the Lady Eagles earned their 17th sweep of the season with a 3-0 win over the College of Southern Nevada. The contest ended with final set scores of 25-21, 25-23 and a dominating third set score of 25-11. The Eagles averaged a .323 hitting percentage, holding Southern Nevada to only .159.
Opposite hitter Sunny Perry shared her thoughts about the team’s excitement and energy to play on their home court. “Tonight was a really great win,” she said. “I think as a team we learned some good things. We know our energy level has to be prominent throughout the entire game. Every game we play, we learn things that make us better. With the energy we have right now, we are ready for the game against Snow College this weekend.”
Outside hitter Kiara Richardson kept the energy alive inside the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center as she hammered her way to 10 kills. Opposite hitter Sunny Perry contributed nine kills tonight with an impressive 14 digs in a spectacular defensive showing. Setter Ashlee McUne added 34 assists and currently leads the nation with over 1,100 assists. Middle blocker Kahea Nihipali added three blocks and seven kills, attacking at the net.
“The entire team pushed themselves hard in practice this week and that’s generally a good indicator of how they will perform on game days. As a coach, it is a great thing when you are unable to pinpoint just one player to highlight in post game interviews. Every one of these girls on the court are impact players and those teammates that may not get in every game help our starters maintain the energy to get these wins,” said head coach Danielle Jensen.
In a battle between two nationally-ranked programs, the 13th ranked Lady Eagles (22-6) will battle the sixth ranked Snow College Badgers (23-2) in one of the most anticipated contests of the season. Game time for this contest will be at 3:30 p.m this Saturday, Oct. 12.
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- Photos by Jeff Barrett
