MOSCOW, Idaho – The Eastern Washington University volleyball team gave the Idaho Vandals quite the challenge on Saturday evening (Oct. 14). The Eagles took on the first-place Vandals in a Big Sky Conference matchup and were able to claim the first set before falling in the next three.
 
Eastern had a balanced attack as they had three players total kills into the double-digits, while also hitting at a .211 clip. EWU and Idaho matched each other in nearly every statistical category, but hitting errors were the difference as Eastern committed 24 to the Vandals' 12.
 
"I am really pleased with how we competed tonight. We had many younger players get great experience on the floor. We are very close to turning the corner and tonight we walk away feeling good about how we performed," said head coach Michael King. "We will respond."
 
One of the younger players that stepped up for Eastern Washington was freshman MaKenna Davis, who set a career-high eight kills in the first set alone. She help EWU top the Vandals in the first set, 25-21 as they hit .326 compared to UI's .250. The Eagles used a 5-0 run midway through the first set to lead 15-10. The Vandals couldn't respond and Davis would deliver back-to-back kills to seal the set and give Eastern a 1-0 lead.
 
The Vandals were able to open a 10-2 lead in the second set. The Eagles fired off three straight points midway through the set to cut the deficit to four, but the Vandals responded with a 3-0 run of their own to take set two 25-18, tying the match 1-1.
 
Eastern struggled to find momentum in the third set following the break, as they only hit .077 compared to UI's .393 clip. EWU played from behind nearly the whole set and a 6-0 run towards the end gave Idaho the victory, 25-17.
 
EWU refused to back down in the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. It wasn't until Idaho was able to string together three straight points that they caught EWU, tying the match 11-11. The Eagles went on a 5-0 run to lead 17-14. Both sides went point-for-point after that, with neither side leading by more than a point at a time. However, with the match tied 23-23, it was the Vandals that strung together the final two points to win 25-23 as they took the match 3-1.
 
WIN-LOSS RECORDS: Eastern Washington dropped its third straight match to fall to 6-11 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky play. Idaho continues its win streak and improves to 12-7 overall and 7-1 in the conference. This is the second straight match that Eastern has dropped to the Vandals as they now trail the all-time series 20-34.
 
TOP PERFORMERS: Eastern had three players total kills into the double-digits in MaKenna Davis and Taylor Larsen who each tallied 13, followed by Kahle Elliot with 11. Megan LaFond (19), Regan Harr (15) and Davis (10) also reached the double-digit mark in digs. In addition, Davis had two service aces while LaFond had one. Harr dished out 23 assists, while Emma Dunn followed closely with 21. Elliott led the team with three blocks and Taylor Larsen paced Eastern with a .423 hitting percentage.
 
KEY STATISTICS: Eastern Washington and Idaho nearly matched each other in every statistical category. However, hitting errors were the difference. The Eagles totaled 56 kills and hit at a .211 clip, but committed 24 errors. The Vandals were able to hit .315 with 57 kills, but only had 12 attack errors. They were also able to outblock Eastern 8-4.
 
NOTEABLES: MaKenna Davis had a career night as the freshman led the team with a career-high 13 kills and totaled 10 digs en route to her first career double-double. She also had a career-high two service aces.
 
Megan LaFond had a career-high nine kills, one short of a double-double, as she also led the team in digs.
 
Regan Harr totaled 23 assists and 15 digs for her ninth straight match with a double-double.
 
In her first career match at libero, freshman Catelyn Linke collected 10 digs.
 
Taylor Larsen totaled a season-high 13 kills and led Eastern's attack with a .423 hitting percentage.
 
UP NEXT: Eastern Washington returns home for two straight matches, but they play host to the two top teams in the Big Sky south division in Portland State and Sacramento State. EWU hosts the Vikings on Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. and the Hornets on Oct. 21 with first serve set for 2 p.m.