Eastern Set To Return To Postseason Play

Eastern Washington University’s late-season flurry has paid off.

The Eagles, winners of seven of their last nine matches, five of seven in the Big Sky Conference, have secured a spot into the conference volleyball tournament next weekend at league-champion Cal State Northridge.

This will mark the first time they return to the tournament since 1990, and the first year the top six rather than top four teams are invited.

The Eagles clinched a spot last week with wins over Montana and Montana State. The sweep allowed EWU (14-11 overall, 7-7 in league) to leap from sixth place to third place.

Eastern closes out the regular season on the road against sixth-place Idaho State (14-16, 6-8) tonight and last-place Portland State (11-16, 3-11) Saturday afternoon. Eastern defeated both teams earlier this year. “The difference has been we’re clicking with a real good lineup,” Eastern coach Pamela Parks said. “After a five-match (middle of the season) losing streak, we put Kim (Exner) back in the middle and (freshman walk-on) Lacey Coover emerged.”

The Eagles cannot mathematically improve in the standings. Cal State Northridge is 14-0 in conference and second-place Sacramento State is 10-4.

Eastern, led by Exner, who is averaging 4.70 kills per game, split with Sacramento State this year and was swept by Cal State Northridge, the final match in Northridge lasting five games before Eastern lost 15-10.

The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. EWU qualified for the tournament in 1989 and lost to Hawaii in the first round.

Cougars in Arizona

Washington State (21-4, 12-3 Pac-10), which improved from No. 11 to No. 10 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll, travels to Arizona State (8-12, 3-11) Friday and No. 25 Arizona (16-8, 7-7) Saturday. Earlier this year in Pullman, WSU beat Arizona in four and ASU in three games.

“Arizona is right on the bubble,” said Cougars coach Cindy Fredrick, assessing the Wildcats’ chances for an NCAA Tournament bid. “And we don’t want to be the ones who put them over.”

Arizona State’s junior outside hitter Terri Cox is ranked third in the conference and 12th nationally in kills (5.03 per game). She’s first in the Pac-10 and sixth nationally in digs (4.72).

WSU’s Sarah Silvernail was named American Volleyball Coaches Association national player of the week. She also was named Pac-10 player of the week for the third time this season and is averaging conference highs in hitting (.400 percent) and kills per game (5.80). Silvernail is on pace to break the 5.37 kills per game record of Oregon’s Teri Kramer, set 10 years ago.

Around the region

Community Colleges of Spokane (9-1 conference) closed out its NWAACC regular season Wednesday with a 15-4, 15-5, 15-13 win over Columbia Basin College (6-4). The Sasquatch earned the Eastern Division’s top seed at the seasonending tournament, Nov. 21-22 at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore. … Two days after Idaho lost to Big West Conference Long Beach State, the 49ers suffered their first defeat of the year, 3-0 to No. 17 Pacific. The 49ers dropped from No. 4 to No. 6. … Idaho (22-5, 11-3), leaders in the conference’s Eastern Division, closes out its regular season at Utah State (7-24, 3-11) Friday and Nevada (11-16, 7-7) Saturday before traveling to UC Santa Barbara for next weekend’s Big West Tournament. … Gonzaga University (11-18, 4-7 West Coast Conference) has three matches remaining and plays host to San Diego (19-6, 8-2) Friday and San Francisco (6-17, 2-8) Saturday.

, DataTimes