BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Eastern Washington University volleyball team competed against Montana State in Bozeman, Mont., on Saturday night (Oct. 5). The Eagles battled, but fell in straight sets, 14-25, 25-27, 17-25.
 
"We were a lot more competitive tonight, we played with way more effort. To highlight some performances, Catelyn Linke played well for us tonight at libero with her passing. Ashlyn Blotzer also had a great night with a service ace and led us in kills while doing a nice job on the block. Renata Lopez Morales played on the right side and in the middle and I liked what I saw from her. We also had seven blocks as a team," said head coach Leslie Flores-Cloud. "We were able to put together to some runs and we owe a lot of that to Emily Johnson. She really came in tonight and served tough, she gave us so much, so kudos to her."
 
The first set started with both sides trading points until Montana State broke away on an 8-1 run to lead 16-8 midway through. The lead eventually grew to 24-12, but the Eagles didn't go away quietly. Renata Lopez Morales hammered down a kill then teamed up with Ka'ehukaiiha'amaina'e Keala for a block, but it wasn't enough as Eastern dropped the opening set 25-14 and went down 1-0 in the match.
 
Down 7-4 to start the second set, Ashlyn Blotzer hammered down a kill that sparked the Eagle offense. From there, Eastern went on a 5-0 scoring run to lead 10-7. The run was highlighted by two kills from Ana Paula Zandona, a kill from Blotzer, and a block from Davis and Blotzer.
 
The lead extended to 14-9 when the Bobcats fought back using a 7-0 run to pull back ahead 16-14. MSU continued to pull ahead 21-18 when three-straight Eagle points tied the set back up at 21-all. Facing set point, 24-22, EWU got help from a Bobcat service error and a block from Nicoletta Capizzi and Lopez Morales to tie the set, 24-24. The teams exchanged points until it was tied 25-25, from there, Montana State got the final say and edged Eastern Washington 27-25 in the second set to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Montana State jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the crucial third set, but the Eagles wouldn't back down. Trailing 7-3, Blotzer came up with a kill that sparked a 6-0 run for Eastern Washington to give them a 9-7 lead.
 
The set continued to be closely contested and it was Eastern Washington that held a 15-14 advantage when MSU used four-straight points to pull ahead, 18-15. From there, the Bobcats out-scored the Eagles 7-2 to claim the third set, 25-17, and the match 3-0.
 
WIN-LOSS RECORDS: With the loss, Eastern moves to 2-14 on the season and 0-4 in Big Sky Conference play. Montana State improves to 7-6 and 3-1 in the Big Sky.
 
Eastern Washington still leads the all-time series, 53-24.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES: Ashlyn Blotzer led the team with nine kills and swung .353 with just three errors on 17 attempts. She also added a service ace and two blocks.
 
Both MaKenna Davis and Renata Lopez followed with five kills and three blocks apiece to lead the team.
 
Ana Paula Zandona also had five kills and led the team with 23 assists. She also had eight digs, just two short of her second-straight double-double.
 
Catelyn Linke led the team with 11 digs in her first appearance at libero this season.
 
KEY STATISTICS: Montana State hit .279 on the night with 44 kills and 13 errors on 111 attacks. Eastern Washington swung .097 with 33 kills.
 
Both teams were even with 44 digs a piece while Eastern was just edged in blocks, 8-to-7. Eastern Washington had three service aces to MSU's one.
 
UP NEXT: The Eagles have a quick turnaround as they host Idaho this Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 6:05 p.m. at Reese Court. Admission for all home games are complimentary to the public and students and will also be streamed for free on Pluto TV Channel 534.
 
Eastern Washington hits the road again on Friday, Oct. 11 at Northern Colorado for an 11 a.m. Pacific time matinee.