Utah State Eastern volleyball picked up their first home and conference win of the season Saturday with a 3-0 sweep over the Colorado Northwest Spartans.
Coming off last weekend’s losses to nationally ranked CSI and SLCC, the Eagles were hungry for a win.
They showed in the opening set with a dominating 25-8 first set win.
“They came out ready to play and we were able to see improvement in areas we have been focusing on this week,” said USU Eastern Head Coach Danielle Jensen.
The Eagles capitalized 13 Spartan turnovers and had 10 kills in the opening set.
In the second set things got a little close but the Eagles would pull away toward the end to get the 25-17 set win.
Against CNCC on Saturday, all players that were healthy was able to get playing time and make contributions on the court.
“It was a pretty proud coaching moment for me tonight. To be able to have each girl that was able to play and then see the excitement the team had for one another, it was special,” said Jensen.
During the final set, the Eagles would get another 25-8 set win to wrap up the game against the Spartans.
“We definitely need the win and our fans need it so it was great to get the win tonight,” said USU Eastern sophomore Sarah Mafi.
As a team the Eagles had only 14 errors which was a major improvement from last weekend’s losses.
“That is something the girls have been working so hard on. If we are going to win some big games we have to keep our errors to a minimum,” said Jensen.
Mafi led the Eagles in kills, blocks, and digs with 10, five, and 10 respectively.
Sophomore Mackenzie Carter had another all around good game for the Eagles by finishing with seven kills, three aces, and six digs.
“She stepped up so much the past few games and she has really led our team,” said Mafi.
Both Mafi and Jensen believe getting the win Saturday will help them in upcoming road games against good regional teams.
The Eagles will be on the road almost four weeks before playing their final home games of the season at the end of October.
“It’s always hard to play on the road and we will miss the support we feel when we are home. But we are ready to play ball,” said Jensen.
USU Eastern will head to Las Vegas on Thursday for a night game against the College of Southern Nevada. Two days later they will take on nationally-ranked Snow College in Ephraim at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s win over CNCC gives the Eagles their tenth win of the season.
They have hit double digit wins for the fourth-straight season with three of those seasons under Coach Jensen.
Team picks up home, conf. win Saturday
USU Eastern volleyball celebrates after a score against CNCC. Photos by Levan Hall