Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen, USU Eastern Volleyball
The USU Eastern women’s volleyball team went undefeated in the first day of the Starr Invitational in Twin Falls, Idaho.
The Eagles faced Missouri State University-West Plains in their first matchup of the game. The Eagles continued to dominate on defense and offense alike and came away with the 3-0 sweep with scores of 25-13, 25-20 and 26-24. Freshman Sunny Perry led the Eagles in offense and defense with 12 kills, 17 digs and one block. Ashlee McUne consistently covered the court with 41 assists.
USU Eastern had little time to celebrate the win as they prepared for Laramie County Community College in a back-to-back contest. The Eagles refused to play any other game than their own and dominated the Golden Eagles 3-0 with scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-19. Sophomore Kiara RIchardson led in kills with 12 as freshman setter Ashlee McUne impressed fans with 39 assists and 15 digs. Freshman middle blocker Kahea Nihipali added two blocks on the net.
“Every game, a different player steps up and leads the team statistically and that makes us so strong both defensively and offensively. We have a sideline that cheers on their team and brings so much energy to the court. It takes the entire team to get these wins and I couldn’t be prouder of this group of girls we have this year,” said head coach Danielle Jensen.