USU Eastern Press Release
USU Eastern women’s volleyball earned the fourth best spot in the NJCAA national preseason poll last week. The Lady Eagles began their season on the road traveling to Council Bluffs, Iowa to take part in one of the toughest preseason tournaments in the nation with four nationally-ranked teams in attendance. Due to COVID-19 protocol, the defending national champions and tournament host Iowa Western Reivers bowed out of the tournament just a day before the start.
The Lady Eagles knew they had a target on their back going into the weekend after an impressive seventh place finish last season at the national tournament as well as finding themselves an early favorite with a top five preseason ranking. That pressure was felt throughout the tournament as the young USU Eastern squad quickly learned that every error and drop in energy would be costly on the scoreboard.
Butler College was first up for the Lady Eagles and it took an impressive offensive attack by USU Eastern to be able to pick up the 3-1 victory over the Grizzlies. Freshman Sammy Perry started her college career like a seasoned athlete with an impressive 17 kills followed by returning sophomore and right side hitter Alyssa Simmons with eleven. Sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Otero added 10 kills and led with six blocks on the net. Sophomore setter Ashlee McUne served five aces and racked up 30 assists against the Grizzlies and sophomore libero Emma Ricks began her final year as a Lady Eagle right where she left off with 30 digs defensively.
Up next in a late night matchup was an extremely tough Indian Hills program out of Ottumwa, Iowa. Often a top 10 contender, the Warriors pushed the Lady Eagles to a fifth set in which USU Eastern plowed through the pressure and defeated Indian Hills 15-9 to take the five set victory and place them 2-0 after their first day of the tournament. Another freshman outside hitter led the offense against the Warriors as Baby Moleni had 15 kills on the night with Sammy Perry adding 12 of her own and Alyssa Simmons with eleven. Sammy Perry also led the team in blocks with five and Lindsey Otero was close behind with four. Ashlee McUne kept the offense attack going with 34 assists while Emma Ricks and Sammy Perry dominated the defense with 41 digs collectively.
“I couldn’t have been happier with our team in pulling out the wins on Friday. Both of these teams, in my opinion, were the teams to beat this weekend and the girls got it done. We made some adjustments late in the game against Indian Hills and we had girls step up and their readiness helped pull out that win,” said head coach Danielle Jensen.
Saturday morning came quickly for the Lady Eagles, facing No. 8 Western Nebraska who in the spring of 2021 handed USU Eastern one of only two preseason losses. Fall 2021 would be no different as the Cougars began the game with a “nothing to lose” mentality and that pressure was felt by the Lady Eagles throughout the competition. Twenty-six errors in the match would not allow the Lady Eagles to gain enough momentum throughout the sets, in particular the fifth, which led to a defeat by Cougars with a score of 15-5. Baby Moleni and Sammy Perry each had 11 kills offensively, assisted by Ashlee McUne, who had 28 assists in the game. Sammy Perry dominated in yet another statistical category with an impressive seven aces against the Cougars. Defensively, Alyssa Simmons had five blocks and and Lindsey Otero with four. Emma Ricks had 23 digs on the defensive side of the net.
With little time to hash out the loss, the Lady Eagles immediately began their back-to-back matchup against No. 11 Northeastern Junior College. The competition didn’t get easier for the Lady Eagles and errors once again plagued the team, setting up for their third, five set game in a row. Following a heated timeout called by head coach Danielle Jensen late in the fourth set, the team responded and a switch flipped for the USU Eastern squad, stepping up at the right moment and defeating the Plainswomen 15-8. Sammy Perry once again led the offense with another 17 kill performance against Northeastern. Service aces throughout the weekend allowed for moments of high energy and those who led against the Plainswomen were freshman defensive specialist Lindsey Palmer with five, Ashlee McUne with three and Sammy Perry with three. Alyssa Simmons led the team in blocks with three and sophomore setter Camber Dodson organized the offense, leading in assists with 27. Emma Rick’s stepped up big for the Lady Eagles with 39 digs.
“We hadn’t seen those two teams play at that level the entire weekend and it caught the team off guard. I realize with success comes a target and that definitely was felt on Saturday and now we all know what is coming our way each and every game, regardless of the team we’re facing. We were able to try several lineups – some worked, some didn’t, and that is why I feel like coming out and playing some of the best teams in the nation is so important in preparation for one of the toughest conferences in the nation. We have a lot of work to do in practice but overall I was proud of our team and their willingness to adjust to their needed roles throughout the weekend,” added Jensen.
The fourth ranked Lady Eagles will continue their preseason play this weekend in Riverton, Wyoming, taking part in the Midway Volleyball Tournament. They will open against Colby College at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 27. Later that day, they will have an opportunity to avenge their loss against No. 8 Western Nebraska at 5 p.m. They’ll conclude their tournament play on Saturday, Aug. 27, taking on Casper College at 4 p.m. and tournament host Central Wyoming at 6 p.m. All games will be broadcast on Facebook LIVE under the USU Eastern Women’s Volleyball page and there are currently no restrictions for spectators.