LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | WEEK 5 MATCH NOTES

CHENEY, Wash. – After a one-week break from competition, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team opens Big Sky Conference play as they welcome Montana and Montana State to town this weekend. The Eagles host the Grizzlies for the 2017 home opener on Thursday, Sept. 21. On Saturday (Sept. 23) EWU takes on the Bobcats with first serve set for 2 p.m. Both matches can be watched live on WatchBigSky.com or on Pluto TV Channel 234.

ABOUT THE EAGLES: The Eagles are 3-6 overall and are riding a two-match win streak heading into conference play. Ashley Seiler leads the Eagles, and the Big Sky, with 158 total kills for an average of 4.27 per set. Regan Harr has dished out 253 assists and 11 service aces, while freshman Jayde Robertsen leads the team with 30 blocks. Megan LaFond has totaled 150 digs., which is tied for sixth in the league. The Eagles have 51 service aces, which ranks fifth in the Big Sky.

LAST TIME OUT: At the Canisius Invitational on Sept. 8-9, EWU went 2-1 overall with a pair of five set wins over Bucknell and Canisius. Ashley Seiler and Regan Harr were each named to the All-Tournament team. Seiler compiled 61 kills (4.69/set) while hitting at a .215 clip. She also added 34 digs, three service aces and five total blocks. Harr set a career high 59 assists and had a total of 127 over the weekend, good for 9.77 per set. She also had 30 digs.

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES: The Griz have lost five straight and are currently 5-8 this season after going 0-3 at the SIU-Edwardsville Tournament last weekend. Montana is hitting .159 with 542 kills (11.53/set) while opponents are hitting .215. Mykaela Hammer leads the team with 166 kills, good for 3.54 kills/set while hitting .200. Ashley Watkins ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 395 assists, while Shannon Casale ranks second in the league with 205 digs.

SERIES HISTORY: Thursday marks the 75^th meeting between the Griz and the Eagles, with Montana owning a slight 39-35 edge all-time. Eastern has claimed the last two meetings, topping the Griz by scores of 3-1 and 3-0 last season to earn the sweep. Inside Reese Court, the Eagles are 21-14 against Montana and are 3-3 under King.
 
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS: Montana State is 4-5 overall and is also coming off of a one-week break from competition. The Bobcats are hitting .146 with 395 kills. As a team, they rank fifth in the Big Sky with 86 blocks and third in service aces with 54. Kiana Black also ranks third individually with 16 aces. Sydney Mathison paces the team with 303 assists, which is ninth in the Big Sky. Kelsie White ranks fifth in the conference with 52 blocks.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Washington owns a 52-20 lead in the all-time series, as Saturday marks the 73^rd meeting. The Eagles have claimed the last four from the Bobcats, including a pair of 3-1 wins last season. Under King, Eastern is 5-1 all-time and are an impressive 31-5 against Montana State at home all-time.

NEXT UP: The Eagles hit the road for their next four matches of Big Sky play, beginning with Northern Colorado on Sept. 28 and North Dakota on Sept. 30. Eastern opens up the month of October at Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.