On site: EWU Volleyball’s Renata Lopez Morales plays for Mexico’s senior national team

Patience and hard work paid off for Eastern Washington University senior Renata Lopez Morales.

A native of Guadalajara, Mexico, the winger has been part of her country’s national volleyball team system since 2016, playing on U18, U20 and U23 teams before being promoted to the senior team this year. She recently spent a two-week session preparing for the 2023 Pan American Games, which will be held in Chile.

In December 2021, Lopez Morales took part in the Pan American Junior Games with the Mexico national under-23 team as the country qualified for Games 23.

“It’s a great experience and opportunity to increase your knowledge of the game,” Lopez Morales is quoted as saying in the EWU publication announcing her promotion. “The pace is really quick and fast, but it helps me grow as a player.”

As a junior at Eastern in 2021, she averaged 1.38 kills and .96 digs per set for the Eagles, with three solo blocks and 15 block assists. In 199 career sets, she has 281 kills, 85 blocks, and 206 digs for a total of 956 attacks. Lopez Morale is a three-time Big Sky Conference All-Academic selection.

baseball

Gonzaga head coach Markus Machtolf announced the addition of six transfers and two new arrivals who will join the Bulldogs this fall, bringing the roster to 16.

Recent additions include Transfers RHP Jeff Nelson from Happy Valley, Oregon, NWAC Pitcher of the Year at Mt. Hood Community College, and 3B/1B Brian Kalmer from Chandler, Arizona, NJCAA Division I Player of the Year at Wabash Valley (Illinois) College.

Other transfers: Tommy Eisenstat3B/1B, Menlo Park, Arizona, College of San Mateo (California); Hank DunnOF, Eureka, Montana, Yakima Valley College; Ty Buckner, RHP, St. Louis, Missouri, Missouri State University; and Donovan RatfieldC, Sparks, Nevada, College of Marin (California).

The freshmen: Kyle Memorian, SS, Vancouver, Washington, SkyviewHS; and Everett SwaimRHP, Richmond, British Columbia.

basketball

Cierra Dvorak von Coeur d’Alene, who played high school basketball in Mead and Lake City, has joined the Texas A&M-Kingsville women’s team as an assistant, the Javelinas announced. She also played at North Idaho College and finished her career at College of Idaho in 2021. Most recently, she was the girls’ assistant coach at Coeur d’Alene HS.

college scene

The Big Sky Conference men’s and women’s cross-country coaches expected everyone to be chasing northern Arizona in their preseason polls.

They led the Idaho women to second place with Weber State and the Vandals men to fourth behind NCAA champion NAU. The East Washington men finished sixth and the Eagles women finished ninth.

rowing

Emma beret2021-22, who was in her fifth year as a member of the Washington State women’s team, has been named operations manager for the Cougars’ rowing program and head coach Jane LaRiviere also announced the hiring of three assistant coaches.

WSU employees include Chris Bailey-Greenean assistant for the Gonzaga women’s program for the past two seasons after spending two years as a top assistant with the Oregon State men’s team; Kelly Glennon, a volunteer assistant at her alma mater, Massachusetts, last season; and Sam Helmick Schwarzmillerwho spent two years as a research assistant in Central Oklahoma.

various

Spokane Sports announced that The Podium Powered by STCU has been nominated by SportsTravel readers and is a finalist for the 2022 SportsTravelAward for Best New or Refurbished Sports Venue, an award recognizing a facility that opened in the past year or one existing facility that has done this has completed an extensive refurbishment.

Voting at surveymonkey.com/r/sportstravelawards2022 is open until September 9th.

Spokane’s new indoor multi-purpose venue, located adjacent to the arena north of downtown, hosts a variety of indoor sporting events including track and field, basketball, volleyball, karate and team handball, as well as concerts, graduations, reunions and more.