Moscow, Idaho – The Eastern Washington University women's volleyball team did its best to rally after dropping the first two sets but came up just short Saturday morning, Sept. 13, falling to Missouri, 3-1, in its second match of the Idaho Nike Invitational.

Won-Loss Records
EWU falls to 4-4 on the young season while Missouri improves to 8-4 with the win. Set scores for the match were: 25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 26-24.

Turning Point
The Tigers came out swinging, hitting .405 in the first set and .321 in the second frame to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Eastern showed its resiliency in the third set, turning a 7-4 deficit into a 16-11 advantage before holding on down the stretch to extend the match into a fourth set.

The Eagles' momentum continued into the fourth frame as they opened up a quick 5-1 lead, forcing Missouri to call timeout. The Tigers would call their second timeout after a block from junior Kellen Barfield gave EWU a 15-7 lead midway through the set. Missouri would charge back to tie the match at 21-21, but a kill from senior Kelsey Julian gave Eastern the chance to serve for set point, up 24-22.

The ensuing serve failed to land inbounds, giving the Tigers a lifeline to get back into the match. Missouri registered a service ace to tie the match at 24-24 before an EWU attack error and a UM block gifted the Tigers the set and the match.

Top Performers
Julian led all players with 15 kills, hitting at a .444 clip (15-3-27). She added four blocks and a dig to her stat line.

Senior Melissa Waelter notched her third double-double of the season with a 13-kill, 13-dig effort to go along with a block and a service ace.

Junior Ana Jakovljevic registered double-figure kills for the first time in her career, putting away 12 kills on 32 swings. She added six digs and a pair of service aces.

Sophomore Sophie Miller got the start at setter, finishing with 25 assists, six kills, four digs and two blocks.

Barfield came up with six big blocks to go along with three kills and three digs.

Key Stats
Eastern recorded nine service aces  to the Tigers' four but committed nine service errors while Missouri had seven miscues.

The Eagles hit .190 for the match while Missouri swung at a .254 clip.

EWU finished with nine blocks while the Tigers registered eight stops.

Quoting Coach King
"I thought the match was well played on both sides. We competed every point and fought the entire match. We need to learn how to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves."

Match Notes
* Julian recorded double-figure kills for the fifth time this season and the 20th time in her career.

* Julian has led the Eagles in kills in five matches this season. EWU is 4-1 in those matches.

* Waelter registered her third double-double of the season and the fifth of her career.

* Miller and freshman Chloe Weber made their first starts of the season.

* Eastern falls to 1-3 in four-set matches and 3-1 in matches in which it wins the third set.

* EWU is now 0-3 on the season when hitting .200 or worse.

Up Next
Eastern is back on the court at 4 p.m. this afternoon when it takes on Boise State in its final match of the Idaho Nike Invitational.