GREELEY, Colo. – A four-match win streak came to an end for the Eastern Washington University volleyball team Thursday night (Sept. 28). The Eagles came back from a 2-0 deficit, but it wasn't enough as they fell to Northern Colorado by a score of 3-1.
"I really like how we competed for most of the match. We had some really nice stretches of great play, but we were just too inconsistent at the wrong times tonight," said head coach Michael King.
Set one was evenly contested as both sides traded points throughout the match. Eastern found themselves up 18-16, but Northern Colorado used a 5-0 run to lead 21-18. Trailing 23-22, an attack error by the Bears and a service ace from Regan Harr put the match at 24-23 in favor of the Eagles. However, UNC was able to string together three straight points to seal the opening set 26-24.
The Eagles struggled to find their footing in set two and fell 25-11 as the Bears were able to hit .400 and keep EWU at a negative hitting percentage. Heading into intermission, Eastern trailed 2-0.
In set three, it was the Eagles who would come clawing back as they led 13-9 midway through the set. The Bears were able to tie the set up at 19-19 before Eastern fired off three straight points to pull back ahead 22-19. Ashley Seiler would deliver the set-winning kill to keep EWU alive as they claimed set three 25-22.
UNC led by as much as seven points in the pivotal fourth set. Midway through, Eastern looked to keep themselves in the game as they went on a 4-0 run to force a Northern Colorado timeout, trailing 20-15. Another 3-0 run by the Eagles threatened the Bears as they led 21-18. Facing set point, 24-19, Seiler would fire off back-to-back kills to look to get Eastern's momentum going, but the rally fell short. Northern Colorado took the Big Sky match by a final score of 3-1 and set four 25-21.
Win-Loss Records: Eastern Washington falls to 5-7 on the season and 2-1 in Big Sky play while Northern Colorado improves to 9-7 and 2-1 in the conference. UNC has now claimed four straight from the Eagles and lead the all-time series, 17-8. EWU is now 4-8 on the road in Greeley and 1-3 in four set matches this season.
Top Performances: Regan Harr earned a double-double for the third straight match, her fifth of the season, with 19 assists and 11 digs. Emma Dunn also paced the team with 19 assists.
Megan LaFond set a new career high in digs with 26. This marks the first time an Eagle has recorded over 25 digs since Nov. 16, 2016.
For the 11th time this season, Ashley Seiler led the Eagles in kills with 16. This also marked her 10th match tallying kills in double figures. She was also one dig shy of her sixth double-double.
Seiler and Jayde Robertsen each tallied two service aces, a career high for Robertsen. Chloe Weber and Robertsen led the team with two blocks a piece.
Key Stats: Northern Colorado was able to hit a .226 clip and limited the Eagles to a .077 hitting percentage, their third-lowest of the season. UNC also edged the Eagles in kills, blocks, assists and digs. Eastern was able to tally seven service aces to the Bears' six.
Next Up: Big Sky play continues on Saturday in Grand Forks, N.D. against North Dakota (18-2). First serve is set for 9 a.m. PT and can be watched live on WatchBigSky.com or Pluto TV.
