Eagles Have Their Chance To Move Toward Playoffs

If the Eastern Washington University volleyball team plans to compete in the postseason, it had better plan on getting serious, beginning tonight.

“A bunch of us are milling around the middle (of the standings),” said Eastern coach Pamela Parks, whose Eagles (9-9, 3-5 Big Sky) play host to Idaho State (11-11, 4-4) tonight and Sacramento State (12-7, 4-2) Saturday, both at 7.

When the regular season ends, the top six of the nine teams will qualify for the league’s postseason tournament, with matches played at the home of the higher seed.

The Eagles are in seventh place, but a weekend sweep could move them as high as fifth with six conference matches remaining, four on the road. Cal State Northridge (8-9, 7-0) is the only unbeaten team, and the Matadors beat the Eagles in five games earlier this season at Cheney. The two meet again Oct. 31 at Northridge.

Idaho State is led by junior Betsy Flenniken, who is averaging 4.54 kills per game. Last season, the Bengals beat EWU in both matches.

Eastern upset Sacramento State 17-15, 15-13, 15-13 in their first meeting this season. EWU sophomore Kim Exner outplayed Jill Haas of the Hornets, a 1995 second team All-American, 24-17 in kills and 24-15 in digs.

Cougar challenges

Washington State, which remains No. 13 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll after wins over Arizona and Arizona State, plays host to California on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and No. 3 Stanford on Sunday at noon.

The Pac-10 leading Cardinal (16-1, 9-0) has never lost to WSU in 21 matches, although the Cougars came close at Bohler Gym last season, taking Stanford to five games. Earlier this season, WSU lost at Stanford in three games.

One of Stanford’s stars, Kerri Walsh, a 6-foot-2 hitter from Saratoga, Calif., was named Pac-10 player of the week last week after totaling 46 kills (5.75 kills per game), 27 digs and 12 blocks against No. 17 UCLA and No. 12 USC.

Walsh leads the conference in service aces with 29 in 57 games played. She also is fourth in hitting percentage (.371) with teammate Barbara Ifejika next at .368.

Washington State’s Sarah Silvernail, six kills short of tying the Cougars’ record set by Carrie Couturier (1,548), leads the Pac-10 in average kills per game at 5.72.

Cal, with less impressive numbers, is tied for ninth place at 5-12, 1-8. However, the Bears have taken five of their nine Pac-10 rivals, including WSU, to five games.

“They’re an awfully scary team,” WSU coach Cindy Fredrick said. “One of these days they’re going to connect on those five-game matches and I don’t want it to be against us.”

Friday’s game will be televised live on Prime Sports Northwest.

Around the region

Led by Renee Williams, who combined 15 kills with a 452 hitting percentage, Whitworth (6-16, 3-8) took a 15-2, 15-8, 14-16, 15-9 NCIC decision over visiting Whitman on Wednesday night. … Community Colleges of Spokane improved to 7-0 in NWAACC play with a 15-11, 15-10, 15-12 win at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake. Jenni Rosselli led the Sasquatch with 13 kills. … Idaho (18-2, 7-1 Big West) faces two of its toughest tests when it heads to No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (14-6, 6-2) Friday and Cal-Poly SLO (11-8, 4-4) Saturday.

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