
Calvin Jensen, Sports Information Director, Utah State Eastern
Photo courtesy of Jeff Barrett
The 16th ranked Utah State Eastern women’s volleyball team shined in their first ever home tournament as they blew past the competition in the Castle Country Classic over the weekend.
In the first matchup of the tournament, the Lady Eagles faced conference foe Colorado Northwestern Community College out of Rangely, Colorado. With set scores of 25-8, 25-17, and 25-10 Eastern swept the Spartans setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. Freshman right side hitter Lauren Hamilton led all scorers with 7 kills and 4 blocks followed by freshman outside hitter Kelsy Stanger who added 6 kills with an impressive .750 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero Paige Shumway and freshman outside hitter Oliwia Suboczewska had 18 digs respectively.
The highlighted game of the tournament would follow Friday evening as No. 16 USU Eastern would face 13th ranked Eastern Arizona in a much anticipated matchup. The Lady Eagles met the Gila Monsters with focused energy and would never let up throughout the contest. In one of the programs best performances inside the BDAC, USU Eastern swept Eastern Arizona with set scores of 25-15, 27-25, and 25-22.
Freshman outside hitter Emma Grant was relentless on the offensive attack racking up 11 kills with an impressive .435 hitting percentage. The court was controlled by freshman setter Agata Makowska who chalked up 30 assists while the net was protected with 18 blocks led by sophomore middle blockers Rachel West and Casidy Fried with 5 a piece. Creating opportunities for her team to score throughout the night was Paige Shumway who had 17 digs in a remarkable defensive performance.
On Saturday, Eastern would face Northwest College out of Powell, Wyoming in their third matchup of the tournament. Complacency in the second set allowed the Trappers a victory, however, Eastern would answer back immediately to seal the deal in their third victory of the weekend with set scores of 25-16, 19-25, 25-14, and 25-15.
Kelsy Stanger and Casidy Fried each had 10 kills in the victory against the Trappers. Blocking continues to be a huge part of the Lady Eagle’s success as Lauren Hamilton put up 8 blocks with Rachel West adding 7 of her own. Paige Shumway had a season high 24 digs defensively and Agata Makowska had 27 assists in the game.
In their final matchup of the weekend, Utah State Eastern swept the Aztecs of Pima, Arizona with set scores of 25-21, 25-23, and 25-19.
Emma Grant again dominated offensively with 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .379. Agata Makowska set a season high 37 assists to allow for the impressive offensive performance by the team and Paige Shumway bested her previous season high in the game prior with 28 digs. Casidy Fried continues to be a wall on the net with 4 blocks in the contest.
“The caliber of team that we see in practice was finally visible in these games,” said head coach Danielle Jensen. “I am proud of the entire team and what they accomplished over the weekend. We have a lot of volleyball ahead of us and these results will help them know what they are capable as we continue on in non-conference competitions.”
USU Eastern (8-5) will travel to Twin Falls, Idaho to take part in the Starr Invitational hosted by the College of Southern Idaho. There they will take on Central Wyoming Community College, Providence University, Casper College, starting with Western Wyoming Community College on Friday, September 8 at 3:00 p.m.
Fans can watch the Lady Eagles live on the Scenic West Digital Network. Follow USU Eastern Athletics in Facebook, Instagram, and X.