STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Eastern Washington University volleyball team fell in straight-sets for the second-consecutive time on Saturday, as they drop a 3-0 (15-25, 19-25, 22-25) decision to host Mississippi State to end the Bulldog Invitational with a 1-2 record.
Saturday's finale featured an eerily similar theme Saturday's first match against No. 5-ranked Kansas. Despite dropping the contest in straight sets, Eastern continued to battle throughout with the team from the Southeastern Conference and improved on its point total in each set.
The Eagles were neck-and-neck with the Bulldogs through the first 20 points of the first and second sets. Mississippi State used an 11-4 run in the first to break a 9-9 tie before winning the frame, 25-15. It was much the same story in the second set, as MSU went on a 7-3 spurt to go up 17-13 after the two teams were knotted at 10-all. Eastern battled back but couldn't overcome its deficit, as they fell, 25-19, to go down 2-0 in the match at intermission.
Following the script from this morning, the Eagles came out of the locker room crisper in their offensive attack and rolled off the sets first five points. Eastern maintained the five-point advantage through the duration of frame's first 35 points, eventually taking a match-high lead of six points at 17-11 after a Mississippi State attack error. It looked as if Eastern Washington was closing in on its first set victory of the day with a 20-15 lead, but from there, MSU rolled off eight-straight points to take a 23-20 advantage before winning the set, 25-22.
"I thought we played well for most of the match," said head coach Michael King. "We had a rotation or two in each set that we didn't handle the lead well. Those four-to-five-point runs really killed us today. This weekend was a great learning experience for us, and we need to respond from it and get better."
Win-Loss Records: By going 0-2 on Saturday, Eastern Washington ends its first weekend of the 2016 season with a 1-2 record. Meanwhile for Mississippi State, they avoid a losing record in its season-opening home tournament by going 2-0 on the day with victories over Lamar and EWU.
What it Means: Saturday's results means that the Eagles will enter next weekend's tournament in Grand Canyon with a 1-2 mark. Eastern Washington was competitive in all three matches over the weekend, but couldn't pull the upset against the two schools from power five conferences.
Keys to the Game: Â Eastern Washington couldn't get into the offensive rhythm again on Saturday night, as they hit below .100 for the second-straight match. Mississippi State's defense limited EWU to a .094 hitting percentage for the night.
Top Performers: For the second-straight match, junior Ashley Seiler set a new career-high in digs, as she recorded 14 against the Bulldogs. Seiler's performance comes fresh off a then-career-best 10-dig-effort against No. 5 Kansas. The Cheney, Washington native was just one kill shy from collecting Eastern's first double-double of the year, as she posted a season-high nine kills.
Sophomore Jessica Gilbert hit a match-best .353, to lead the team in hitting percentage for the second time this season, and collected eight kills. The Modesto, California native earned all-tournament honors after collecting 28 kills and hitting .255 for the weekend.
Senior setter Sophie Miller had her second 20-assist match in three contests this weekend, as she handed out a match-high 21 helpers. Miller joined Gilbert on the all-tournament team after posting 67 assists in three matches.
Key Stats: Both teams were pretty even throughout the stat sheet except in one category, hitting percentage. Mississippi State posted a .272 success rate, while Eastern Washington was limited to a .094 hitting percentage. Eastern collected three service aces, to Missisippi State's two. Senior Sophie Miller landed a match-best two serves to lead the Eagles, while junior Megan LaFond provided the team's third ace.
The Eagles were again out-performed at the net, as the Bulldogs held a 7-3 edge in total blocks. Eastern was also one dig off MSU's pace, as Mississippi State held a 44-43 advantage in the category.
Turning Point: Eastern could not find an answer to a trio of elongated runs by the Bulldogs midway through the first and second sets, and then again in the third set when they were holding a 20-15 advantage. An 11-4 Mississippi State run broke up a 9-9 tie in the first, followed by a 7-3 run to snap a 10-10 deadlock in the second, then closed set three on a 10-2 spurt to win the match in straight sets.
Notables: Mississippi State wins the first meeting between the two schools on the volleyball court. Prior to this weekend, Eastern Washington had not played any of the other three teams in the Bulldog Invitational.
Junior libero Megan LaFond now has a double-digit dig streak of three matches after she collected a team-best 15 digs in the loss. LaFond has led Eastern in the category in all three matches this season.
For the second-straight match Eastern Washington had two players in double figures in digs. Megan LaFond picked up a team-best 15 digs, while junior Ashley Seiler added a career-best 14.
Junior Ashley Seiler led her team in kills for the second-straight match. She picked up a season-best nine after landing a team-high seven kills against No. 5 Kansas earlier in the day. The Cheney, Washington native picked up 22 kills in all this weekend.
Senior setter Sophie Miller appeared all over the stat line Saturday night. She had a season-best four kills, hit a season-best .300, landed a season-high two aces and handed out 21 assists.
Tweet of the Game:
What's Next: Eastern Washington returns to action next weekend, as they travel to Phoenix, Arizona to participate in the Grand Canyon University Tournament. The Eagles open the Tournament with Cal State Fullerton at 3:30 p.m. PT next Friday, Sept. 2. EWU will conclude the weekend with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 3. First they will challenge host school Grand Canyon at 9 a.m. PT, followed with an Eastern vs. Eastern match against Eastern Kentucky at 4 p.m. PT.
For more information on the Eastern Washington University volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter and don't forget to like Easter Washington Volleyball on Facebook.
