ETV News stock photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen, USU Eastern Volleyball
The USU Eastern women’s volleyball team surged ahead in the national polls this week to #12 in the country. Over the weekend, the Lady Eagles knocked off two ranked programs and defeated all four teams in the Colorado Invitational. The team also improved to a 17-3 record, which has never been accomplished in school history.
In addition to their success in the national rankings, the Lady Eagles are crushing the stats. Out of over 100 teams in the country, they are holding steady at #1 in kills, #1 in digs and #1 in assists. Individually, outside hitter Kiara Richardson holds the #1 spot in kills with an impressive 221. Freshman setter Ashlee McUne holds the #1 spot in assists nationally with a whopping 814 and #2 in assists per set.
The Lady Eagles have dropped only 14 of their 69 sets played so far in non-conference matchups, holding 12 of their opponents scoreless, several of which were nationally ranked.
When asked about the success of this years team, assistant coach Sarah Mafi said, “We are super proud of this team. They work extremely hard everyday in the weight room and in the gym. It is definitely paying off. These ladies are very selfless players and anytime they win, the entire team is credited for that success. That has been key for the unbelievable season we’ve had so far this year.”
The Lady Eagles will finish out their non-conference games this weekend as they travel to Nebraska for the Wyo-Nebraska Tournament. On Friday, they will face Sheridan College at 11 a.m. followed by Trinidad State College at 5 p.m. On Saturday, they will take on Western Wyoming College at 8 a.m. and Eastern Wyoming College at 2 p.m.
The games will be broadcast LIVE on Facebook under USU Eastern Women’s Volleyball page.