CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University volleyball team gave a perfect send-off at home for senior Sophie Miller, with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-21) victory against Montana on Saturday (Nov. 12) in the final regular season game.
Although Eastern clinched a berth in next week's Big Sky Conference Volleyball tournament as a No. 7 seed in its last time out, the team put up an even stronger performance to conclude its regular season. For just the second time this season, EWU posted a hitting percentage above .300 with a mark of .333.
The first set of senior day got off to a great start with Sophie Miller leading the Eagles to a 7-2 lead. Eastern would stay out in front for the entirety of the opening set, keeping the Grizzlies at bay with 13 kills and a .296 hit percentage. The second set was all Eagles as well; going on a 10-1 run that featured two kills from junior Chloe Weber and a 17-5 lead over UM. EWU would eventually finish out the second set with a 25-10 advantage and head into the break leading 2-0.
After its dominant second round, EWU came out of the break with a much closer third set. Montana kept pace with Eastern all-set and eventually pulled to a 12-16. After a timeout, the Eagles rallied together for a 4-0 run that brought them to within striking distance at 16-17. The EWU fight continued as the team sat even with Montana at 19-19. Determined to close out the match, Eastern buried the visiting Grizzlies with a 6-2 run and a 25-21 finish to the match.
"I was really proud at how our team came out and fought tonight," said head coach Michael King. "We've been talking the last couple weeks about eliminating our errors, and that was shown tonight in our attacking errors and service errors. We just made far less mistakes, and it really allowed our offense to flow and have opportunities to compete tonight."
Win-Loss Records
Eastern Washington pushed its record above .500 to 13-12, and finished Big Sky play with an even 8-8 total. The team now holds a two-game winning streak as it moves along to Big Sky postseason play. Montana's loss drops the teams overall record to 5-21 and 2-14 in league play.
What It Means
It was Sophie Night at Reese Court, as the team honored its four-year senior in her final home game as an Eagle. Tonight's victory against Montana completed a weekend sweep that started with a 3-1 win versus Montana State on Thursday (Nov. 10).
"We are taking everything one game at a time and in my opinion we are facing the toughest team in the conference. We bring on and love that challenge," said King.
Turning Point
The 10-1 run by the Eagles in the second set displayed the team's dominance, and built their confidence for the necessary comeback to seal the game in the third set.
Key Stats
Eastern out-hit Montana .333 to .125, and recorded 39 kills to UM's 24. EWU also led its opponent in digs with 29, and stayed below the Grizzlies' error mark of 15.
Top Performers
Sophomore Jessica Gilbert led the team with 12 kills and hit at a team-best .556 clip.
Sophie Miller stood out on her night with a team-leading 29 assists. She also recorded three kills, two service aces, and only one error.
Chloe Weber finished second on the team with seven kills at a .500 hit rate. She also tallied the team's only blocked shot.
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna posted a team-best seven digs on the night. She also had five kills.
Notables
Sophie Miller, the lone senior on this Eagles squad, played her final game at Reese Court. She ends the 2016 regular season with 703 assists and 63 kills. In her four-year career she has 1,486 assists and 245 kills.
This was the team's second highest hitting percentage of the season at .333, just behind its .345 mark against Lamar in the first game of the season.
Eastern put together its fifth 3-0 win, and its first in the month of November.
This was the second time this season that EWU beat both Montana State and Montana in the same weekend. This feat happened in the first two Big Sky matches of the year on Sept. 22 and 24. Both those matches finished with scores of 3-1.
For the second-straight season, the Eagles will travel for the Big Sky tournament as a No. 7 seed.
Quotes from Head Coach Michael King
"I'm specifically proud of Sophie Miller on senior night, she is a great player and stepped-up for us."
"I am very pleased with Jessica Gilbert who hit really well on the right side with Chloe Webber in the middle. The future is bright, I really love this team and I expect only great things ahead for us."
What's Next
Postseason play begins and the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Volleyball tournament will be played on Thursday (Nov. 17) against the No. 2 seed Sacramento State Hornets. "We are taking everything one game at a time and in my opinion we are facing the toughest team in the conference. We bring on and love that challenge.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like Eastern Washington Volleyball on Facebook.
