The 24th ranked Eastern University volleyball team dominated play early and held on for a 3-0 win over Misericordia University on Wednesday evening.

The match started a half hour late due to bus troubles on the Northeast extension, but the host Eagles were unfazed as they pounded out a 25-6 win while hitting .429 as a team in the opening set. 

The Eagles will return to action in Wisconsin at top-ranked UW-Oshkosh on Friday. They built an early lead in the second set, and seemed to lose some focus as the Cougars tied the game at 17-17. A passing error led to the 18th point for the Eagles, and despite a Misericordia time-out, the Eagles ran off eight straight points on Mary Poole's serve for the game two win.

The Eagles, who started Fall Break at the conclusion of classes, might have been going through last-minute packing lists for their early morning flight as the Cougars built an early lead in the third game. Courtney Reinhold helped the Eagles to snap out of their malaise with four consecutive kills. The sophomore All-American finished the match with 12 kills on 17 swings for a .588 hitting percentage.

Rachel Wenger finished with eight kills, and Maria Horning led the team with 26 assists and 12 digs.

The Eagles leave for the Midwest tomorrow morning. They open their play there with Oshkosh and are also scheduled to play St. Katherines of Minnesota.

With the win this evening, Eastern secured a spot in the Freedom Conference playoffs. The Eagles will have a chance to secure the top seed when they travel to Wilkes next week.