ETV News stock photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen, USU Eastern Volleyball
It was a weekend of intense, competitive volleyball at the Yavapai College Invitational for the Lady Eagles. Of the five games scheduled in just over two days for the Eagles, four teams were nationally ranked in the latest preseason poll.
The Thursday night game against #6 South Mountain College was no match for the Eagles. USU Eastern lost to the Cougars during this same tournament last year and they came out ready for sweet revenge. And that they did as USU Eastern swept the Cougars 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-23). The Eagles were led by Kiara Richardson with 10 kills, Breanne Bitter with 10 blocks, Avery Best with 13 digs and Ashlee McUne with 33 assists.
Friday began with a tough loss to a scrappy #10 Glendale College, who would be the only team to go undefeated in the ten-team, two-day tournament. The Lady Eagles battled hard but were defeated 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-20). With a dominating win the night before, the Eagles came out a sluggish and struggled to collaborate as a team. The Eagles were led by Kiara Richardson with 12 kills, Alyssa Simmons with four blocks, Emma Ricks with 13 digs and Ashlee McUne with 28 assists.
Later that afternoon, the Lady Eagles again faced a tough New York program in #15 Monroe College. The team regrouped from their earlier loss and came out ready to play their game. They swept the #15 Mustangs 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-15). The Eagles were led by Breanne Bitter with 12 kills, Alyssa Simmons with two blocks, Avery Best with 18 digs and Ashlee McUne with 31 assists.
On Saturday, the Eagles took on Barton College out of Kansas. The Eagles again came out ready for an early morning win. They maintained momentum throughout the first two sets, but late in the third they dropped their energy level and Barton capitalized, edging out the Eagles for the set win. The Eagles refused to drop another set to Barton and dominated the fourth set to defeat the Cougars 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-12). The Eagles were led by Kiara Richardson will 13 kills, Alyssa Simmons with seven blocks, Sunny Perry with 19 digs and Ashlee McUne with 49 assists.
Saving the best for last, the highly-anticipated game against #20 Arizona Western played out in thrilling fashion. The Thunderbirds came out swinging and the Eagles had a tough time organizing their defense and dropped the first set to Arizona, 25-17. Knowing the significance of the game, the Eagles refused to give up and came back with their own set win of 25-17. With the momentum in their favor, USU Eastern shot out with a 10-point lead only to let down their guard for a Thunderbird comeback to tie the third set 20-20. After an intense Eagles timeout, they scored five quick points and took a one set lead on Arizona Western. The final set of the game was one to remember. With fans and teammates on the sideline cheering on the team, losing wasn’t an option in the 25-21 Thunderbird defeat. Middle blocker Kahea Nihipali, battling her own cousin across the net, thrilled onlookers with a career high 10 kills and six blocks. The defense refused to let a ball drop and was led by Emma Ricks with 16 digs. Adding to the defense were Avery Best and Ashlee McUne, both with 15 digs. With 45 assists, setter Ashlee McUne ran the court and helped keep the offense moving.
“The game against Arizona Western is one I won’t forget. To see a team come together like they did and refuse to give up, even when momentum wasn’t in their favor, was something special. It took everyone on the team to get that win and they showed absolute endurance and grit,” said head coach Danielle Jensen.
The Lady Eagles did something the program has never accomplished before: defeating three nationally-ranked teams in one tournament. At the time of this article, USU Eastern, as a team, is #1 in assists, #1 in kills and #2 in digs nationally. Outside hitter Kiara Richardson holds the #5 spot in kills, Avery Best ranks #6 in digs and Ashlee McUne ranks #5 in assists nationally.
The Eagles will continue their Arizona road trip as they travel to Thatcher to take on Eastern Arizona at 12 p.m. and Pima at 2 p.m. on Labor Day.