Area roundup: Seniors play key role in Eastern Washington’s volleyball win

Megan LaFond and Ashley Seiler finished with 19 kills apiece Friday while guiding Eastern Washington (7-15, 4-10 Big Sky Conference) to a 25-16, 16-25, 34-36, 25-18, 15-9 volleyball win over visiting Northern Colorado (13-14, 6-8).

The victory ended the Eagles’ eight-match losing streak and avenged a 3-1 loss against the Bears on Sept. 28. EWU hadn’t defeated Northern Colorado since Sept. 26, 2015.

Taylor Larsen added 11 kills and Regan Harr had 50 assists for the Eagles. Catelyn Linke, with 28, teamed with LaFond and Harr for 70 digs.

Kortney Lockey had a match-high 22 kills for the Bears.

The third set lasted 40 minutes and included 18 ties and 12 lead changes. Both teams fought off set points five times. The Eagles led 34-33 before the Bears scored the final three points.

EWU stormed to a 9-3 lead in the fourth set and bounced back after a Northern Colorado rally.

Seniors LaFond, Seiler and Chloe Weber played their final home matches.

EWU travels to Montana State and Montana next week to end the regular season.

• Alexa Smith and Joslyn Hayes combined for 26 kills to guide Colorado (19-6, 9-5 Pac-12 Conference) to a 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 win over 11th-ranked Washington (18-6, 8-5) at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado. The Huskies, who were swept for just the second time this season, entered with a three-match winning streak. The Buffaloes won their fourth consecutive match and their seventh in the last eight. The Huskies swept Colorado at home on Oct. 8. Colorado hit .337 for the match, including .500 by Hayes. Courtney Schwan led the Huskies with 12 kills while hitting .440. UW plays at 15th-ranked Utah on Saturday.
• Emiko Kahler led three players in double figures with 21 kills, leading Whitworth (15-9, 12-3 Northwest Conference) to a 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10 win over Pacific (16-7, 9-6) in Forest Grove, Oregon. Cassandra Mendoza added 15 kills and Lauren Budde had 11 for the Pirates. Whiworth’s Taylor Wicht finished with 25 digs and Kahler had 22. Jordan Zweifel led the Boxers with 19 kills, three more than teammate Karlee Duncan. Whitworth, which has won three consecutive matches, completes the regular season on Saturday at Linfield. Pacific Lutheran (14-2) has clinched the NWC title. Whitworth will finish in second place.
• Calista Clark finished with 11 kills and Alisha Straw added 10 to lead Community Colleges of Spokane (31-9, 10-5 Northwest Athletic Conference East Region) to a 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Blue Mountain (12-23, 5-10) at Spokane Community College. Kendall Collins added 29 assists and Pua Kaaloa added four aces for the Sasquatch. Collins and Clark had eight digs apiece. Sydney Neuman guided the Timberwolves with eight kills. CCS’ regular season ends Wednesday at Yakima Valley (6-8 East). The Sasquatch have already qualified for the NWAC Championships, which begin Nov. 16 in Tacoma.

Women’s soccer

Washington State 0, Washington 0 (2OT): In a match that included no credited saves, the visiting Cougars (9-7-3, 4-6-1 Pac-12) and Huskies (9-8-3, 2-6-3) ended in a scoreless deadlock to end the regular season.

Both teams had nine shots during the frigid night. WSU finished with six corner kicks while UW had three.

Early on, the Cougars had the best scoring chance of the night when a pair of close-up headers off a corner missed their mark.

WSU produced its 10th shutout of the season. The shutout moved Ella Dederick into sole possession of second place on WSU’s single-season shutout list. She has 17 total in her career.

The Cougars must wait until Monday’s NCAA selection show to find out their postseason fate. The show is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Skiing

Lookout Pass Ski Area will open Saturday and Sunday, operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lookout Pass will offer nine groomed trails on the front of the mountain. Two chairlifts will be in operation.

Info: (208) 744-1301.