POCATELLO, Idaho -- Sophomore Regan Harr picked up her second career double-double on Thursday night, but it would come in a losing effort, as the Eastern Washington University volleyball team fell in 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 19-25) at Idaho State to open a four-match Big Conference road trip.
Harr, a Twin Falls, Idaho native, was playing in her first NCAA Division I match in her home state and responded with a 14-assist, 11-dig night to earn her second career double-double at Eastern Washington. The 11 digs match a career-best in the category for the setter, and it is the second time in four matches that Harr has recorded a double-double.
The sophomore's performance helped the Eagles pick up 53 digs, which allowed Eastern to hold its third-straight opponent below a .180 hitting percentage, as Idaho State recorded a .178. However, the offense never got into an extended rhythm throughout the night, as they hit .095 and failed to have a player reach double-digits in kills.
Redshirt Sophomore Taylor Larsen led the team in kills with nine, while she also hit an efficient .261 (9-3-23) for the night. Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna recorded seven kills, while posting 15 digs, and redshirt sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth hit a career-best .714 with five kills on seven swings.
The Eagles went point-for-point with the Bengals in each of the first two sets, but ISU was able to respond to a pair of late EWU rallies in each frame to collect a pair of 25-23 wins, and send Eastern to the locker room down 2-0. It was all Idaho State early in the third set, as they lead by as many as 10 points at 18-8. EWU would go on a 9-1 run from that point to pull within two points of ISU at 19-17 to force the Bengals to call a timeout. The Eagles could only manage two more points for the remainder of the set, and dropped the frame, 25-19, to lose in straight-sets.
"We didn't show up emotionally tonight," said head coach Michael King. "Our serving and passing game wasn't consistent and that lead to too many ups and downs throughout the match. We had a few nice moments tonight, but not enough."
Win-Loss Record: Tonight's loss drops Eastern to 9-7 on the year and 4-3 in Big Sky play. Meanwhile, the Bengals improve to 9-11 and 4-3 in the conference, as they have now won four-straight matches.
What It Means: Thursday's defeat in Pocatello snaps Eastern's modest two-match winning streak, while it also means that the Eagles will start their four-match Big Sky road trip at 0-1.
Top Performers: Sophomore Regan Harr recorded her second career double-double with 14 assists and 11 digs. It is also her second double-double over her last four matches, as she handed out a career-best 20 assists, while picking up 11 digs, against North Dakota back on Sept. 30.
Freshman Katie Mahoney tallied a team-best 16 digs against Idaho State. The 16 digs are a career-best for the Dundee, Illinois native, and marks the second career double-digit dig match.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Larsen led the team in kills for the first time in her career with nine. The right side hitter also posted a .261 hitting percentage.
Turning Point: Idaho State picked the right spot to cool off an Eastern Washington offense that was rolling towards the end of the third set. The Bengals called a timeout with the Eagles in the midst of a 9-1 run to pull back in the match at 19-17 after trailing by 10 points. Eastern would only manage two more points out of the break and fall 25-19 to drop the match in straight sets.
Notables: Tonight's snaps a double-double streak for a trio of Eagles. Senior Sophie Miller and sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna both had their four-match double-double streak come to an end, while junior Ashley Seiler's three-match double-double streak also came to a halt.
Senior Sophie Miller extended her 16-match double-digit assist streak, as she handed out a team-best 16 assists.
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna recorded her fifth-straight double-digit dig match, as the Hawaiian native posted 15 digs in the loss to the Bengals.
What's Next: Eastern wraps up its two-match stay in the Gem State, as they'll travel to Moscow, Idaho to take on the Vandals on Saturday, Oct. 15. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like EWU Volleyball on Facebook.
