Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, November 5
Ogden
6:00 PM
Weber State University
15-8,9-3Big Sky
3
vs
0
Eastern Washington
9-15,4-8Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Eastern Wash.
24
20
19
0
Weber St.
26
25
25
3
Photo by: Robert Casey
Saturday Sweep: Wildcats Beat Eagles in Three Sets
11/5/2022 8:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OGDEN, Utah – Weber State volleyball closed out its weekend with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-19) sweep over the Eastern Washington Eagles.
WSU took an 8-7 lead to open a back-and-forth first set, then seemed to gather control after a seven-point run gave the 'Cats a 15-7 edge. The Eagles, however, had other ideas. EWU used a variety of skills to score on 17 of the following 22 points and got all the way to set point at 24-20. The tides turned once again in favor of the purple and white, though, as an Ashley Gneiting kill served as a catalyst to revive what appeared to be a dormant Wildcat attack. Weber State finished off the set with six consecutive points, including two highlight kills from Emma Mangum, as the Wildcats rallied to win the opening set 26-24.
Another Gneiting swing gave Weber State an early 7-3 lead in the second set as the two teams struggled for early control of the frame. The Wildcat offense started heating up as Kate Standifird picked apart the Eagle defense and was able to find Mangum for a pair of kills amid a five-point run that gave the Wildcats a 13-7 edge. The Wildcats never looked back after that. EWU closed the gap between the two sides with the score at 22-20, but the 'Cats finished the final three points and took a commanding 2-0 lead into the final set.
EWU took the initial point of the third set, but WSU countered by scoring four points in a row and the Wildcats never looked back. The Wildcat defense was impeccable and WSU outhit EWU .261-.038 in the third set en route to scooping up their second sweep of the weekend. Another Gneiting kill down the line for the 25th point of the third finished off the Eagles, and Weber State took the victory in front of a raucous Swenson Gym crowd.
Weber State's win improves them to 15-8 (9-3) on the season, EWU drops to 9-15 (4-8).
NOTABLES
-Weber State swept both matches it played this week for its sixth and seventh sweeps of the season.
-The win gives WSU a ten-match winning streak over Eastern Washington.
-Gneiting led the team in kills (12) for the fifth time this season.
-With 12 kills on 23 swings, Gneiting had a season-high .435 hitting percentage for the match.
-The Wildcats held EWU to a .098 hitting percentage on the night.
-Brielle Rueckert, the Big Sky Conference leader in hitting percentage, continues to amaze the Wildcat faithful and hit .417 in Saturday's sweep.
-Standifird's 33 assists and 10 digs give her another double-double for the season.
QUOTABLES
"I was just focusing on a couple things and working on hitting it hard, getting my feet there, and just playing with intensity and being aggressive. That was a big thing for me tonight. […] I think we still have lots to work on, but (Jeremiah Larsen) said in the locker room that it's a step in the right direction and this is what we've been working for. This is what we like to play as. It's a step in the right direction and we've got to keep working." – Ashley Gneiting
"I think it was a good step in the right direction. We've been trying to play more unified, more focused, and more free to be able to do what we know we can do. I thought we didn't get distracted by things that don't matter today. It's important to play with freedom and focus. […] It was nice to see Ashley step up and get out of her rut. She's been working really hard in the gym. I'm really happy for her that she's seeing some fruits of her labors." – Jeremiah Larsen
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will hit the road for matches against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado next week. Weber State squares off against NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday, November 10 at 6:30 PM, followed by a match against the Bears in Greeley, Colorado on Saturday, November 12 at 6:00 PM.
All regular season and postseason home and Big Sky Conference matches can be seen on ESPN+.
TICKETS
Season and single match tickets are on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the Weber State ticket office at 801-626-8500.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State volleyball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
WSU took an 8-7 lead to open a back-and-forth first set, then seemed to gather control after a seven-point run gave the 'Cats a 15-7 edge. The Eagles, however, had other ideas. EWU used a variety of skills to score on 17 of the following 22 points and got all the way to set point at 24-20. The tides turned once again in favor of the purple and white, though, as an Ashley Gneiting kill served as a catalyst to revive what appeared to be a dormant Wildcat attack. Weber State finished off the set with six consecutive points, including two highlight kills from Emma Mangum, as the Wildcats rallied to win the opening set 26-24.
Another Gneiting swing gave Weber State an early 7-3 lead in the second set as the two teams struggled for early control of the frame. The Wildcat offense started heating up as Kate Standifird picked apart the Eagle defense and was able to find Mangum for a pair of kills amid a five-point run that gave the Wildcats a 13-7 edge. The Wildcats never looked back after that. EWU closed the gap between the two sides with the score at 22-20, but the 'Cats finished the final three points and took a commanding 2-0 lead into the final set.
EWU took the initial point of the third set, but WSU countered by scoring four points in a row and the Wildcats never looked back. The Wildcat defense was impeccable and WSU outhit EWU .261-.038 in the third set en route to scooping up their second sweep of the weekend. Another Gneiting kill down the line for the 25th point of the third finished off the Eagles, and Weber State took the victory in front of a raucous Swenson Gym crowd.
Weber State's win improves them to 15-8 (9-3) on the season, EWU drops to 9-15 (4-8).
NOTABLES
-Weber State swept both matches it played this week for its sixth and seventh sweeps of the season.
-The win gives WSU a ten-match winning streak over Eastern Washington.
-Gneiting led the team in kills (12) for the fifth time this season.
-With 12 kills on 23 swings, Gneiting had a season-high .435 hitting percentage for the match.
-The Wildcats held EWU to a .098 hitting percentage on the night.
-Brielle Rueckert, the Big Sky Conference leader in hitting percentage, continues to amaze the Wildcat faithful and hit .417 in Saturday's sweep.
-Standifird's 33 assists and 10 digs give her another double-double for the season.
QUOTABLES
"I was just focusing on a couple things and working on hitting it hard, getting my feet there, and just playing with intensity and being aggressive. That was a big thing for me tonight. […] I think we still have lots to work on, but (Jeremiah Larsen) said in the locker room that it's a step in the right direction and this is what we've been working for. This is what we like to play as. It's a step in the right direction and we've got to keep working." – Ashley Gneiting
"I think it was a good step in the right direction. We've been trying to play more unified, more focused, and more free to be able to do what we know we can do. I thought we didn't get distracted by things that don't matter today. It's important to play with freedom and focus. […] It was nice to see Ashley step up and get out of her rut. She's been working really hard in the gym. I'm really happy for her that she's seeing some fruits of her labors." – Jeremiah Larsen
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will hit the road for matches against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado next week. Weber State squares off against NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday, November 10 at 6:30 PM, followed by a match against the Bears in Greeley, Colorado on Saturday, November 12 at 6:00 PM.
All regular season and postseason home and Big Sky Conference matches can be seen on ESPN+.
TICKETS
Season and single match tickets are on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the Weber State ticket office at 801-626-8500.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow Weber State volleyball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening with the Wildcats.
Team Stats
EWU
Weber
Kills
37
39
Errors
26
15
Attempts
112
101
Hitting %
.098
.238
Points
49
51
Assists
30
35
Aces
5
4
Blocks
7
8
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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