BOZEMAN, Mont. -- The Eastern Washington University volleyball team was eliminated from Big Sky Conference Tournament contention on Thursday (Nov. 9) night, as the Eagles dropped a 3-0 (22-25, 19-25, 23-25) decision at Montana State.
EWU came into the final week of the Big Sky regular season needing a sweep on its final road trip of the 2017 campaign to stay alive for the final bid of the Big Sky Tournament. With tonight's straight-set loss to the Bobcats, the Eagles will miss the eight-team conference tournament for the first time in two seasons.
Despite the loss, head coach Michael King was pleased with his team's efforts on the road in a must-win scenario.
"I was very pleased with our play tonight," said King. "The team fought well during rallies, but with that being said, we had way too many service errors tonight and some came at critical times."
Senior Ashley Seiler, the Big Sky's leader in kills-per-set, picked up a team-high eight kills. The Cheney, Washington native has now led the Eagles in kills in 21 of the team's 23 matches this season. The outside hitter also displayed a strong a defensive prowess throughout the night, as she picked up a team-best 17 digs.
Eastern Washington opened the first set trailing 11-7, but after a timeout, the Eagles pulled even with the Bobcats at 20-20 to force MSU to take a timeout of its own. The home squad scored three-straight points out of the break to take a 23-20 and closed the opening set with a 25-22 victory.
Montana State set the tone early in the second frame by jumping out to a 7-2 advantage. MSU used that momentum to win the set 25-19 and take a 2-0 lead in the match heading into the break.
The Eagles fell behind 8-4 early in the third set, but from there went on a 10-4 run to take a 14-12 lead. The two teams traded the next several points before MSU retook a 19-18 advantage. Freshman MaKenna Davis, who did not play in the night's first two sets, took over from there, as she scored three of the frame's next four points to give Eastern a 21-19 lead. That stretch helped Davis land five kills off the bench in the third set.
With EWU leading 22-20 late in the third set, Montana State took a timeout to slow down the Eagle attack. The strategy paid off for MSU, as the Bobcats closed out the match on a 5-1 run to score a 25-23 victory and win the match in straight sets.
Win-Loss Records: With tonight's result, Eastern Washington falls to 4-11 in Big Sky play and 7-17 overall on the year. Meanwhile, Montana State improves to 6-9 in league play and 10-14 overall.
What It Means: With tonight's loss to Montana State, Eastern Washington is eliminated from the Big Sky Tournament, which takes place starting next Thursday at Sacramento State. It is the first time since the 2014 season the Eagles will not participate in the eight-team tournament.
Top Performers: Junior setter Regan Harr handed out 32 assists in the three-set match. It is the most assists collected by Harr in a three-set match this season.
Freshman libero Catelyn Linke extended her double-digit dig streak to three matches with 10 digs. The Pasco, Washington native has now strung together 10-plus kills in five of her last six matches.
Senior outside hitter Ashley Seiler landed a team-high eight kills. It is the 21st time this season the Cheney, Washington native has led her hometown team in kills.
Key Stats: Both teams collected seven blocks on the night. Senior middle blocker Chloe Weber led Eastern Washington with 2.5 total blocks thanks to five block assists. Senior Ashley Seiler also had four assisted blocks to give her two blocks on the evening.
Serving was the biggest difference in the stat line tonight between the two teams. Montana State land four service aces, while Eastern Washington managed two aces. However, the Eagles committed 11 service errors on the night to the Bobcats six.
What is Next: The Eagles will be looking to end the 2017 season on a high note, as they take on the Montana Grizzlies on Saturday in their season finale. First serve from Missoula, Montana is set for 6 p.m. PT. The match will be shown live on WatchBigSky.com and Pluto TV Channel 237.
For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVB on Twitter and Instagram or follow EWU Volleyball on Facebook.
