Eastern University Volleyball downed Salisbury in three sets to reach their fourth Sweet 16 in program history. Courtney Reinhold led the Eagles with an 18 kill effort.
The two schools entered this evening's Regional Semifinal at Juniata College as the last two teams in Divsion III with just one loss. Eastern battled to a 25-22 first set win and then put together some of their best volleyball of the year to take the next games in resounding fashion.
Eastern Head Coach Mark Birtwistle said of his team's effort. "The real story of the night was our defense. It was amazing. The girls were really solid, and we were picking up things all night." Four Eastern players, led by libero Nikki Kummerer's 15, reached double figures in digs for the evening.
Neither side took command of the match early as the first set went back and forth. With a slim 16-15 lead, Christi Schlager served for three consecutive points and the Eagles were able to hold that margin through to finish the first set.
Eastern went on a 10-2 run to break open a 7-7 contest in the second set. Led by Reinhold's six kills on 11 attacks, the Eagles hit .471 in the second set. The Eastern team picked up 23 digs while allowing the Sea Gulls just four kills in the set. Mandy Platt picked up a pair of solo blocks as the Eagles rolled to a 25-16 win.
Up two sets, the Eastern squad was able to forge a 9-6 lead early in the final game and hold on for a 25-19 win. Reinhold picked up another six kills in the final set. She would finish with 10 digs and an ace.
Platt registered 13 digs,three solo blocks, six kills and an ace in a solid all-around game. Maria Horning dished out 34 assists and picked up 11 digs and a solo block. Birtwistle complimented the play of Schlager, who finished the day with eight digs and an ace.
The Eagles improve to 35-1, while the Sea Gulls had their 36 match winning streak snapped and finish the year at 36-2. #1 Juniata College is the only other team to beat Salisbury this year, and is also still alive in the Regional tournament. The Juniata Eagles take on Carnegie Mellon in the Second Semifinal.
