MATCH NOTES

CHENEY, Wash. – The second half of the 2021 spring season has arrived for the Eastern Washington University volleyball team, who hosts Montana this Sunday (Feb. 21) and Monday (Feb. 22) at Reese Court.
 
First serve for both matches is set for 2:05 p.m., but the start of Sunday's match will be delayed as the Eagles will honor seniors Catelyn Linke, ShaRae Niu, Puaoolelagi Sao, Alisha Straw and Ana Paula Zandona prior to the match. The Senior Day presentation and both matches will be streamed for free on Pluto TV Ch. 1053.
 
Eastern Washington (3-6, 2-6) is looking to get back on track after dropping a pair of matches at Northern Arizona last week following back-to-back five set victories over Portland State. The Eagles lost 3-0 (16-25, 18-25, 20-25) in the first match on Feb. 14 behind a team-high seven kills from Ashlyn Blotzer. Eastern improved the following day in a 3-1 loss (16-25, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25), where they recorded 73 digs to NAU's 63 thanks to a season-high 25 digs from Linke. Both Sage Brustad (13) and Maya McClellan (11) recorded double-digit kills, as Eastern was just edged statistically in kills (47-43), aces (8-5) and blocks (10-8).
 
As a team, Eastern Washington is hitting at a .161 clip with 11 kills per set. Its opponents swing .195 with 12 kills per set. The Eagles are third in the conference with 15.3 digs per set while also adding 9.9 assists, 1.1 aces and 1.6 blocks per frame.
 
Three Eagles average over two kills per set, led by freshman Brustad with 2.56 and 87 total. McClellan (2.22) and Blotzer (2.11) follow close behind with Blotzer leading the team in hitting percentage with .270.
 
Brustad has 11 aces (.32/set) to pace the Eagles while Blotzer and Linke each have seven. Lindsey Russell and Zandona have split setting duties this season, with Russell ranking eighth in the conference with 7.45 assists per set followed by Zandona with 4.17.
 
Defensively, Linke ranks second in the conference with 4.70 digs per set, totaling 174 on the year. In two matches coming off of her first career Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honor, she averaged 5.86 digs per set. The senior currently has 1,117 career digs to rank eighth on Eastern's all-time dig list, just 22 shy of seventh.
 
Fellow senior Sao has 846 career digs and is pushing for 154 more to become the 10^th member of EWU's 1,000-dig club. She currently averages 2.14 per set this season.
 
Montana is 1-7 overall and in Big Sky Conference play. It won its first match of the season against Idaho State, but have since dropped seven-straight heading into this week's matches. Most recently, the Griz fell at home to Montana State in five sets on Feb. 14 and then lost in three sets the following day.
 
The Griz average 10.4 kills per set while hitting .142, its opponents swing .257 with 12.6 kills per set. Montana also averages 9.6 assists, 1.1 aces, 13.4 digs and 1.9 blocks per set.
 
Montana also has three players who average over two kills per set in Amethyst Harper (2.77), Sophia Meyers (2.48) and Peyten Boutwell (2.23). Boutwell also averages .94 blocks per set and Carly Anderson handles the setting duties with 8.23 assists per frame.
 
Last season, Eastern Washington was swept by the Griz on Oct. 10, 2019 in Missoula. A month later on Nov. 8, the Eagles bounced back and beat Montana in five sets at Reese Court, snapping a four-match losing streak to UM. In the win, Blotzer collected a career-high 18 kills while Ka'ehukaiiha'amaina'e Keala had 15. Linke, Sao and Niu all had double-digit digs and Zandona had a career-best 58 assists as the Eagles hit .269 on the night.
 
Eastern Washington trails the all-time series with Montana, 43-37 but are 23-15 all-time over the Griz at Reese Court.
 
Following these matches, the Eagles have a week off before resuming play at Sacramento State on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7. First serve is set for 5 p.m. and 1 p.m. Pacific time, respectively, on Pluto TV Ch. 1052.