Wilmington, N.C. – After picking up a pair of victories yesterday, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team lost a back-and-forth battle to Coastal Carolina, 3-1, in its third game of the Hilton Garden Inn Wilmington Mayfaire Classic Saturday, Aug. 30.

Won-Loss Records
Eastern falls to 2-1 on the year after suffering its first setback while Coastal Carolina evens its record at 1-1.

Turning Point
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout, so much so that the outcome hung in the balance until CCU converted on match point in the fourth set. Each of the first three frames saw neither team able to gain much separation as all three sets ended in identical 25-20 scores.

The Eagles looked poised to force a fifth set after opening up a 23-21 advantage late in the fourth frame, but after the Chanticleers called timeout, they would score five of the final six points of the match to secure the win.

Top Performers
Junior Allie Schumacher notched her first double-double of the year with a match-high 14 kills and a career-best 16 digs.

Senior Melissa Waelter recorded 12 digs to go along with four kills and three blocks.

Junior Kellen Barfield came up with six blocks, including two solo stops, and added five kills on 14 swings.

Freshman Nicole Rigoni notched 21 assists and six digs while sophomore Sophie Miller registered 17 helpers to go along with four digs.

Freshman Ashlee Vaoifi made her first career start at libero, finishing with nine digs.

Sophomore Kylie Curtis came off the bench to record six kills on 16 swings to go along with three blocks.

Key Stats
The Eagles outhit Coastal Carolina, .188 to .166, but committed 11 service errors. The Chanticleers put away nine service aces compared to Eastern's one.

Quoting Coach King
"Coastal Carolina played well. They came out with a ton of energy and we didn't match it. When we had opportunities to capitalize, we were unable to take advantage and stretch out our lead or make runs of points. We had too many serving errors at crucial times."

Game Notes
* Waelter and Vaoifi made their first starts of the 2014 season, respectively.

* EWU had never faced Coastal Carolina prior to today's match. Eastern is now 2-2 all-time versus programs from the Big South Conference.

* The Eagles are now 38-13 all-time in matches played in the Eastern Time Zone.

Tweet of the Game

Up Next
Eastern plays its final match of the Hilton Garden Inn Wilmington Mayfaire Classic tomorrow against host UNC Wilmington at 11 a.m.