Andrea Hale was a one-woman wrecking crew for the Wildcat’s volleyball team on Oct. 26.
The junior outside hitter recorded 20 kills on the evening as Weber State University rolled to a 3–0 victory over Eastern Washington University at the Swenson Gym.
“Andy was playing really well,” head coach Jeremiah Larsen said. “She was in another zone and on fire. She has been working hard, so she deserves that kind of night.”
Hale collected five kills in a 9–0 run midway through the opening set. The ’Cats went on to win 25–14, as Hale picked up eight kills in the set.
“I really enjoyed today,” Hale said. “It was just so fun to be out with those girls, I love them so much. Everything felt good from the beginning.”
Weber State again pulled away late in the second set, emerging with a 25–20 victory. In the third and final set, the ’Cats took an early lead and kept the pressure on until the final whistle blew.
The match ended on another kill from Hale, giving the Wildcats a second straight 25–20 set victory.
WSU had played their previous four matches on the road and came back to Ogden with a three-game losing streak. Hale was one of many Wildcats who was glad to be back on their home court.
“I love playing at home,” Hale said. “I love being in front of our friends, family, and people in the community. It is such a great feeling to be back in this gym.”
Hale’s 20 kills were three short of tying her career high, which she set against Montana State on Oct. 5.
The win was Weber State’s first over the Eagles since 2012, breaking a five-match losing streak. Eastern Washington came into the match with a 6–13 record.
Larsen said, “They’re a good program. They are dealing with some injuries and some other things that we have kind of exploited. But a win is a win for us, and it’s nice to finally get that monkey off our back.”
WSU boosted their Big Sky conference record to 4–7, keeping them in the playoff hunt. The win also improved the ’Cats overall mark to 6–17.
“We just think about each next game,” Hale said. “We’re not thinking too far ahead, our focus is on our next opponent. We will get our scouting report and once we beat them, we will focus on the next team.”
Coach Larsen saw the victory as a potential jumping off point for his squad as they make a late season push.
“Things have to go our way, but I think we have a shot at (the conference tournament),” Larsen said. “At the end of the day, we compete against everyone we play. We don’t get blown out, we don’t get slaughtered, we just go compete. We just tell our kids to make sure that we are getting better every day, and I think we are.”
