Box Score EPHRAIM, Utah (Sept. 30, 2018) -- Snow College improved to 18-3 on the season and took over sole possession of first place in the Scenic West Athletic Conference with a 3-1 over 19th ranked Utah State Eastern on Saturday.

"We knew going in to this match that Utah State Eastern was going to be a tough opponent," Snow head coach Jeff Reynolds said. "They came to town nationally ranked with 15 wins, and you don't do that unless you're a good team. I'm proud of our team for stepping up and fighting through this one. It was a great match. This was an important win for us."

After dismantling the Eagles, 25-9, in the first set, USU Eastern made some adjustments to its lineup and came out in the second set ready to battle. The Badgers won the second set 25-23, but in the third set, the Eagles came out strong and built a sizeable lead. USU-Eastern held a 22-15 lead before Snow made a run to eventually tie the score at 23-23. The Eagles were able to overcome the surge and held on for a 25-23 victory in the third set. In the fourth set, USU-E took a 23-20 lead before Snow went on a 7-2 run to close out the match.

"We had a nice come-back that fell short in the third set," Reynolds said. "So, when we called a timeout trailing, 23-20, in the fourth set, we had confidence we could come back. We just needed to focus on the process of picking up one point at a time, and not dwell on the hurdle that was standing right in front of us. I am so proud of the way we took care of business -- one serve, one dig, one pass, one set, one block, one swing at time. We became a better team today."

Sophomore RIley Lyman led the Badgers with a match-high 18 kills on 47 attempts (.298). She was also credited with 12 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Freshman Stacey Hone was credited with 14 kills which equals her season-best. Thea Leiataua picked up 13 kills and 15 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Sophomore middle blocker Kelsie Evans was credited with 12 kills and six blocks in the victory. Freshman libero Brielle Fowler led the Badgers' scrappy defensive effort with a season-high 23 digs.

The Badgers will travel to Western Wyoming on Wednesday, Oct. 5, before hosting Southern Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.