Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen
For the first time in program history, the 8th ranked Lady Eagles defeated No.11 Snow College in the Scenic West Region 18 Tournament to advance to the championship game Friday.
As with the two previous matchups between the two rivals, the game was decided in five sets with a relentless battle till the end. A surge of energy in the last two sets propelled USU Eastern to the victory with set scores of 18-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-19 and 15-10.
Haley McUne led the offensive attack against the Badgers with 16 kills and 13 digs defensively. Kennedi Knudsen added 11 kills and Casidy Fried hammered six kills with six blocks, protecting the net.
Katie Compas helped the offense execute with 26 assists and Jenna Thorkelson added 15 of her own. Paige Shumway was a crowd-pleaser, protecting the court with 22 digs.
#2 seed USU Eastern will face #1 seed Salt Lake Community College on Friday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. in the Scenic West Athletic Conference championship. The winner will get an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament held in West Plains, Missouri on Nov. 17-19. The loser will look for one of two coveted at-large bids that will be awarded next week.
Fans can watch the championship live at https://bit.ly/3U0TY1Z.