The Eastern Volleyball team had their season end at the sweet sixteen to 9th ranked Christopher Newport University. The 13th ranked Eastern Eagles finished the season 31-6. This season was the fourth season in a row where the Eastern Eagles have at least made it to the sweet sixteen. This is a feat that the team ought to be proud of.
Making it to the sweet sixteen four years in a row is no easy task. This proves how good of a team the Eastern Eagles have, and how good of a coach Mark Birtwhistle is. The talent of this team is also shown with the amount of players named All-American this season. Katerina Pisch was named to the first All- American team. Rylie Haas was named to the second All- American team. Rikki Schlager was named to the Third All-American team. Lauren Sproles was an honorable mention. Katerina Pisch and Lauren Sproles are the only senior All-Americans this year.
The Eastern Eagles showed once again this year that they are by far the best team in their conference. This season it did not seem like there was much competition for the Eastern Eagles, as they dominate the Freedom Conference once again. They also once again showed that they are one of the best teams in division three as they were ranked 13th in the nation and competed well in the NCAA tournament.
With players such as Rikki Schlager and Rylie Haas coming back next season the Eastern Eagles should be in a good position to win the Conference again, and make it back to the sweet sixteen again. Look for the Eastern Eagles to once again dominate the Freedom Conference. The Eastern Eagles will also most likely be nationally ranked next year.