CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University volleyball team earned a berth next week's Big Sky Conference Volleyball Tournament with a 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 25-00) victory over Montana State at Reese Court on Thursday (Nov. 10) night in Big Sky action.
"This is a big step for this team and this program," said head coach Michael King about his team qualifying for the Big Sky Tournament. "This is the second-straight year going to the tournament. The team that went last season had four seniors on it, and credit our returners for really stepping it up and rising to the occasion this season. Prior to last season, Eastern hadn't been to the Big Sky Tournament in four years, so being able to make it in back-to-back seasons is a step in the right direction for this program."
Tonight's victory secures the No. 7 seed in next week's Big Sky Volleyball Tournament. It is the second-straight season that Eastern has qualified for the Tournament. EWU was also the No. 7 seed in last season's Big Sky Volleyball Tournament, where they dropped a match five-set heartbreaker to No. 2 Idaho State.
The Eagles hit above the .200-mark for the first time in four matches on Thursday, as they posted a .228 hitting percentage. It is the team's highest attack percentage since hitting .261 at Portland State back on Oct. 20. Redshirt sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth hit a team-best .462 against Montana State, as she landed six kills on 13 swings and kept a clean sheet in the attack error column. Another middle blocker, junior Chloe Weber, also had a strong hitting night, as she hit .278 with nine kills against MSU. A pair of outside hitters had efficient hitting nights as well, as sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna hit .228, while junior Ashley Seiler posted a .220 mark. Ahuna and Seiler paced the offense with 14 kills each.
Eastern rolled off seven-straight points to start the night, as they cruised to a 25-18 victory in set one. The Bobcats would respond, as they limited the Eagles to a .176 hitting percentage in the second frame to pull the match even at 1-1 heading into the break. EWU looked to have secured another large victory in set three, but Montana State fought off three-straight set points for the Eagles before Eastern claimed the third set, 25-22. That score would hold for the night's final frame, as Eastern picked up the four-set victory to secure the Big Sky Tournament's No. 7 seed.
"I want to give credit to Montana State," said King. "They had a bit of a different lineup out there tonight, and they competed all night. I was really proud of the way we served from the service line tonight. We've been going up-and-down all year there and we've put a lot of pressure on our players to perform back there and they did that tonight. I'm also pleased with how we were able to slow them down offensively and limit them to a .156 hitting percentage on the night."
Win-Loss Records: Eastern Washington pulls to an even 12-12 on the year, while they are now just one match below .500 in Big Sky play at 7-8. The loss by Montana State eliminates the Bobcats from the Big Sky Volleyball Tournament, as they are now 3-12 in conference matches and 5-20 overall.
What It Means: Tonight's victory gives Eastern one of the final two remaining spots in next week Big Sky Volleyball Tournament. The Eagles will be the No. 7 seed in next week's Tournament, which will be played at the site of the Big Sky regular season champion.
Turning Point: Senior Sophie Miller got her final week at Reese off on the right foot, as the Federal Way, Washington native served the night's first seven points. That performance set the tone for the Eagles four-set victory against the Bobcats on Thursday night.
Key Stats: Eastern hit .228 in Thursday's victory, while holding Montana State to a .156 hitting percentage. The Eagles also out-blocked the Bobcats, 9-5, as redshirt sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth had a match-best 5.5 blocks.
Top Performers: Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna and junior Ashley Seiler led the Eagles in kills with 14 apiece. Ahuna hit .231 in the victory, while Seiler posted a .220 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth recorded a match-best 5.5 blocks. She also landed six kills on 13 swings without posting an attack error to lead the Eagles in hitting with a .462 clip.
Senior Sophie Miller got her final week at Reese Court started on the right foot with a career-best five service aces. She also handed out a team-best 35 assists and added seven digs on the night.
Redshirt sophomore Ashlee Vaoifi tallied a career-best 23 digs against the Bobcats on Thursday.
Notables: The Eagles extend their winning streak over Montana State to four-straight matches as they complete the season sweep of the Bobcats for the second-straight year. MSU still leads the all-time series, 50-22.
The win secures the No. 7-seed in next week's Big Sky Tournament for the Eagles. The tournament will be played on the campus of the Big Sky regular season champion.
Tonight's victory guarantees Eastern at least a .500 record at Reese Court this season, as they are now 4-3 at home going into Saturday's regular season finale against Montana.
Eastern Washington improves to 4-3 this season in four-set matches.
What's Next: The Eagles conclude the 2016 regular season this Saturday, Nov 12, against Montana. It will be Senior Night at Reese Court, as the Eastern Washington volleyball team honors its lone senior, Sophie Miller, prior to the match. First serve is set for 8 p.m. PT and fans can receive free admission to the match with their ticket stub from Saturday's Eastern Washington football game.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like Eastern Washington Volleyball on Facebook.
