Eastern Arizona College Volleyball Faces Tough Challenges at Ufirst Intermountain Invite

The Eastern Arizona College volleyball team traveled to Taylorsville, Utah, to participate in the Ufirst Intermountain Invite, hosted by Salt Lake Community College. The Gila Monsters faced a series of highly-ranked opponents in the tournament, which provided a tough test but offered valuable lessons.

Match 1: VS #9 Trinity Valley CC
Eastern Arizona faced #9-ranked Trinity Valley in their opening match, struggling to find their rhythm. The Gila Monsters were swept in three sets, with a final score of 0-3. Sophomore Melanie Merrill stood out in this match with 8 kills, 10 digs, and 2 blocks. 

Match 2: VS #8 Weatherford
In their second match, Eastern Arizona found their footing, going toe-to-toe with #8-ranked Weatherford. The Gila Monsters fought hard, but untimely errors in key moments led to a narrow 2-3 defeat. The team was led by Melanie Merrill with 15 kills, Kambria Maloy with 19 digs, and Elisa Saunders with 5 blocks. 

"We battled on this one, but came up short due to a few untimely errors," Coach Kay said.

Match 3: VS #3 New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI)
Eastern Arizona took on the #3-ranked NMMI in their third match, delivering one of their cleanest performances of the tournament. However, NMMI's defense, which helped them sweep all of their opponents at the event, proved tough as the Gila Monsters lost 0-3. This game was led by Melanie Merrill with 11 kills, Kadence Moore with 8 digs, and Elisa Saunders with 4 blocks. 

"We played one of our better games, but there's a reason NMMI is ranked #3. They out-defend everybody," Coach Kay commented. "This was a good test for us to stay patient and minimize errors."

Match 4: VS Snow College
In their final match, Eastern Arizona faced Snow College, a physically imposing team that is expected to enter the rankings soon. In a hard-fought battle, the Gila Monsters stayed resilient but fell short in a 2-3 loss, marking their fourth defeat of the tournament. Once again Sophomores Melanie Merrill showed up with 11 kills and Kadence Moore with 8 digs. Freshman Hannah Pushckor held the net with 4 blocks. 

"This was a tough one. We should have won this match, and we needed it badly. The girls showed their resiliency, staying in the fight despite three tough losses," the coaching staff said. "But again, untimely errors were our downfall."

Looking Ahead
Though the Gila Monsters finished the tournament with a 0-4 record, the experience was invaluable.

"This tournament was exactly what I imagined it would be—tough! But I signed us up for this because it's where we need to be to improve," said the coach. "No doubt we learned a lot that will help us as the season progresses."

Eastern Arizona will look to build on these lessons as they prepare for upcoming matches against Central Arizona (September 18), Arizona Western (September 20), and Pima (September 21) during Homecoming week. Go Monsters!