Jose Briseno – Assistant SID- USU Eastern

Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant

After a successful 12-3 preseason schedule, the No. 7 Utah State Eastern Eagles opened Scenic West Athletic Conference play with a weekend against Colorado Northwestern Community College and Salt Lake Community College.

The Eagles began conference play on the road against the CNCC Spartans. The trip to Rangely, Colorado, was a quick one for Eastern as three sets were needed for a sweep of the Spartans. The Eagles won sets one, two, and three 25-15, 25-12, and 25-7, respectively, to complete the 3-0 sweep.

Audrey Atwood led the Eagles with 11 kills while Emilia Zug added seven to help the Eastern attack. Madelin Newbold had four blocks in the match, and Miranda Brown had 19 digs to anchor the Eagles defensively.

Next on the weekend was a Saturday afternoon against the No. 6 Salt Lake Community College Bruins. The top-10 matchup was a back-and-forth affair, with each team winning one of the first two sets. Salt Lake took the first set, 25-12, before the Eagles bounced back for a set-two win, 25-18. A competitive third set eventually went to the Bruins, 25-22, before they won the match in the fourth set, 25-22.

Agata Zwierzynska has 10 kills in the match, and Atwood added nine to her weekend total. Amy Baczuk had six blocks, and Ella Persson had nine digs to work defensively.

Next for the Eagles is a visit from Snow College on October 4. The match will be the Eagles’ home opener, scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.