14th Ranked Women’s Volleyball Shows Strength in Opening Weekend

The Utah State Eastern women’s volleyball team faced tough competition over the weekend as they opened their season on the road in Taylorsville, Utah. The Lady Eagles took on Western Wyoming Community College on Thursday to begin the three-game tournament. Eastern looked sharp in its first match of the year as they swept the Mustangs in three sets with scores of 25-9, 25-23 and 25-16.

Freshman outside hitter Haley McUne dominated at the net with 13 kills followed by freshman outside hitter Kennedi Knudsen with eight kills.  Freshman setter Katie Compas had 17 assists in the game. Freshman middle Casidy Fried put up a wall on the net with six blocks and four kills.   Knudsen and freshman libero Paige Shumway took care of the court on defense with 14 digs apiece.

In a back-to-back matchup, USU Eastern looked to remain focused with 6^th ranked Miami Dade waiting anxiously to pick up its first victory of the weekend. A thrilling first set battle ensued with both teams battling back and forth. With the first set score tied at 28-28, a 15-minute delay over a protested call ended in the Sharks’ favor, giving them a one-point advantage. A service ace by the Sharks ended the rally with Miami Dade coming away with the victory and all the momentum. The frustration by USU Eastern visibly carried over to the following two sets as 30 team errors robbed any traction, resulting in the final set scores of 19-25 and 19-25.

“You can’t have that many errors against team like Miami Dade and expect to win,” said head coach Danielle Jensen. “The team couldn’t shake the call at the end of the first set and that made all of the difference with their performance on the court. We have a very young team and the loss, no matter how bad it stings, was a good learning opportunity for them.”

McUne once again led the offense against the Sharks with 18 kills while Knudsen pounded down 13 of her own. Compas led in assists with 18 and Shumway protected on defense with 15 digs with McUne adding 14 of her own. Fried added three blocks and four kills in the contest.

Another tough team out of Florida wrapped up the Lady Eagles’ opening weekend as they met Indian River State College on Saturday morning.  USU Eastern rebounded powerfully with three wins against the Peregrines by scores of 25-18, 25-18 and 25-15.

The Lady Eagles’ outside hitters put on a show for the numerous Eagle fans with Knudsen pounding 13 kills with a .417 hitting percentage and McUne added 10 kills with a .474 percentage. Freshman setter Jenna Thorkelson organized the offense, leading with 18 assists. On defense, Fried protected the net with three blocks and four kills. Shumway had 14 digs with Knudsen adding 13.

“Overall, I am very pleased with how far the team has come over the past three weeks,” added Jensen. “We have a great group of young girls that are supporting one another whether on or off the court. We have a lot to work on, but with this group of girls, I’m confident they’ll work hard to get the job done. That is why these preseason tournaments are so valuable.”

The upcoming schedule for USU Eastern doesn’t get any easier as the team travels to Fort Myers, Florida to take part in the Battle of the Beaches Tournament hosted by 4^th ranked Florida Southwestern. The Lady Eagles will not only take on the nationally ranked Florida team but will also have rematches against No. 6 Miami Dade and Indian River and take on undefeated Hillsborough.

For up-to-date scores, schedules and promotions, text the word “EAGLES” to 83200 or visit www.usueasternathletics.com