Jose Briseno – USU Eastern Assistant SID

Photo courtesy of Dallin Grant

The No. 10 Utah State Eastern Eagles hosted No. 14 College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College, looking to snap a two-match losing streak.

On Friday, the Eagles welcomed Southern Idaho to Price, Utah, in a matchup of ranked teams. The match started with a quick run by Southern Idaho, but Eastern eventually pulled off a comeback to take the first set, 25-22. With momentum rolling in their favor, the Eagles continued to put pressure on Southern Idaho. The pressure led to a dominating second set for Eastern, 25-13. Southern Idaho attempted a comeback in the third set, but Eastern proved to be overpowering, winning the match 3-0 after a 25-22 third set.

Audrey Atwood led the Eagles with 17 kills. Agata Zwierzynska added nine, and Emilia Zug had eight kills. Atwood and Zug also had 10 digs, and Amy Baczuk had four blocks in the match.

Saturday brought a matchup with the North Idaho College Cardinals. Looking to build off the momentum of Friday, the Eagles struggled in the first set, committing 10 errors. These errors led to the Cardinals taking the first set 18-25. After the first set, the Eagles committed just eight errors the rest of the match. A clean second set led to a 25-18 win for the Eagles. Eastern continued strong in the third set, winning the set 25-18. After the third set, Eastern had the momentum, winning the fourth set 25-13 and the match 3-1.

Atwood and Zwierzynska continued to dominate offensively with 11 kills each. Devree Gines had 19 assists to go with 13 digs, and Amy Baczuk had six blocks in the match.

Following a successful weekend, the Eagles now sit in second place in the Scenic West Conference standings.

Next on the schedule is a trip to Ephraim, Utah, to take on the Snow College Badgers on October 18. The last time the two teams faced off, the Badgers beat the Eagles 3-1.