PHOENIX -- The Eastern Washington University volleyball team dropped its first match at the Grand Canyon University Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 3, morning 3-0 (20-25, 23-25, 22-25) to the host Lopes.
Freshman Katie Mahoney recorded her first double-digit kill performance at Eastern Washington, as the Dundee, Illinois native posted 10 kills against Grand Canyon. The freshman was joined by sophomore Jessica Gilbert in the double-digit kill category, as the outside hitter collected a match-best 11 kills. The Modesto, California native also continued her recent string of efficient hitting percentage matches, as she hit a team-best .368, thanks to her 11 kills and only four errors on 19 attempts.
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna followed up her best offensive night at EWU with her best defensive effort in an Eastern uniform, as she posted a career-best 12 digs. The Hawaiian native also added eight kills in the loss.
EWU trailed 9-8 in the first set before the Lopes went on a 7-2 run to take a commanding 16-10 advantage. GCU would end up taking the opening set, 25-20. Grand Canyon jumped out to a 10-6 lead early in the second set and grew its advantage to a set-best seven points at 17-10. Eastern would rally in the second frame and pulled within a point of the Lopes at 23-22, as a kill by Ahuna capped off a 12-6 spurt for the Eagles. However, Eastern would just manage one more point in the set, falling 25-23 to take a 2-0 deficit into the break.
The two teams were deadlocked at 9-9 in the third set after a Sophie Miller kill. GCU would go on an 8-3 run over the sets next 10 points to jump out to a 17-12 lead. Just like the second set, Eastern would mount a late rally, as they pulled within three points late in the frame at 23-20. That would be as close as the Eagles would get, as they fell 25-22 to drop the match in straight sets.
"Our serving was off this morning," said head coach Michael King. "We had too many errors at crucial times. We had some really nice moment and made some great plays, but not enough to push us to extended sets."
Win-Loss Records: Eastern Washington falls to 2-3 overall and 1-1 on the weekend after the straight-set loos. For Grand Canyon, they move to 4-1 and 2-0 in the tournament. If Grand Canyon defeats Cal State Fullerton later on this afternoon, they will win the weekend tournament.
What it Means: This morning's loss now puts EWU in a must-win situation in this afternoon's match against Eastern Kentucky to leave Phoenix with a winning record. EWU must also claim a victory over the Colonels this afternoon to climb back to .500 on the year.
Keys to the Game: Grand Canyon only committed nine attack errors in 104 attempts against EWU. That efficiency led to a .231 hitting percentage. The Lopes also landed three service aces, while not allowing a serve from Eastern to touch the floor throughout the match.
Top Performers: Senior Sophie Miller handed out a season-best 31 assists, while hitting .250 with five kills on 12 swings.
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna set a career-best in digs with 12. Ahuna followed her up her 12-kill performance last night with an eight-kill effort against GCU.
Sophomore Jessica Gilbert led the Eagles in kills with 11, while hitting a team-best .368.
Redshirt sophomore Kimberly Brinkworth posted a .353 hitting percentage on the morning thanks the seven kills, with just one error, on 17 attempts.
Freshman Katie Mahoney recorded a career-high 10 kills in the loss.
Key Stats: Â Eastern Washington held a double-digit advantage in both kills, assists and digs. EWU collected 46 kills to GCU's 33, while they also held a 43-32 edge in assists and out-performed the Lopes in digs, 51-37.
Serving was one of the few stat categories that the Eagles did not out-perform Grand Canyon in. GCU landed three aces, while they didn't allow Eastern to land a single serve throughout the match. EWU also committed 12 service errors on the morning.
Notables: Grand Canyon claims victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Senior Sophie Miller handed out a season-best 31 assists against the Lopes. It was the first 30-assist match for Miller since Nov. 1, 2014, when she handed out 33 at Montana State.
Freshman Katie Mahoney recorded her first double-digit kill match of her Eastern career.
Sophomore Ka'iulani Ahuna posted a career-best 12 digs.
Junior Megan LaFond extended her double-digit dig streak to five matches, as she once again leads the team in digs with 13.
Junior Anya Golubitskikh made her Eastern Washington debut. She recorded one kill on two attempts in two sets of action.
Tweet of the Game:
What's Next: Eastern Washington will be back in action this afternoon, as they'll conclude the Grand Canyon University Tournament with a match against Eastern Kentucky at 5 p.m. PT. It will be the first matchup between the Eagles and Colonels on the volleyball court.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like EWU Volleyball on Facebook.
