Eastern Washington volleyball put an exclamation point on its non-conference schedule, defeating Texas A&M University Commerce, 3-2 Friday morning. After falling behind 2-1 in the game, the Eagles rallied and won the next two sets, including a 21-19 battle in the fifth. Eastern improved to 5-7 on the season after finishing the Hampton Inn Classic.

"The team showed a tremendous amount of resilience after last night's match," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "It was fun for us to grow through this match. I couldn't be more proud of them."

Eastern opened the game strong against the Lions, running out to a 7-1 lead. Sage Brustad powered the effort with three kills. With the Eagles leading 15-8, TAMC got back into the game with a 5-0 spurt to get within two points. Brustad continued to swing for Eastern and Katie Fleck joined the effort to maintain the lead. The two pushed the lead to 21-17, giving the team some separation. Alyssa Radke and Renata Lopez Morales provided kills down the stretch to give Eastern the 25-20 win in set one.

Eastern started with a strong, .324 hitting percentage, while holding the lions to .143.

The second set was a tight contest, as the team tied eight times early on. At 9-9, TAMC went on a 4-0 run to build some separation. The Lions continued to maintain distance from the Eagles, extending the lead out to 21-14. Sadie Bacon played aggressively in the second, scoring three kills. TAMC would go on to win the set 25-19 and had evened the game at one.

The Eagles were held to a .024 attack percentage, while the Lions hit .250.

Now in the third set, Eastern reestablished its edge early, building out a quick 8-3 lead. TAMC reeled the Eagles back in and pulled even at 10-10. Radke and Bacon continued to score as the two teams were locked in another close battle. The Lions had their first lead of the set at 18-17 and would extend it to 20-17. With the advantage, TAMC stayed ahead and won the set 25-20 for a 2-1 lead in the game.

In the set, Eastern was held to a .048 attack percentage and the Lions hit .243.

Down in the game, Eastern moved to even up the score at two sets each in the fourth. Sage Brustad led the charge with five kills. With a 12-9 lead, the Eagles fired off a 5-0 run to take control of the set. Along with Brustad scoring, Radke added a kill and Lindsey Russell provided an ace. Radke and Brustad would trade off scoring down the stretch and Eastern won the fourth set, 25-15.

The Eagles found their swing in the fourth, hitting .310 and shutting down the Lions, allowing a -0.029 percentage.

Brustad carried over her momentum into the fifth set, getting two early kills. Neither team built any significant lead early as the set moved closer to the end. The Eagles had a 14-13 lead, going for game point, but could not convert. The two teams would then tie six times and the set went into extra points. The score was tied at 19 when Lopez Morales delivered a key kill for the 20-19 lead. On the next Lions attack, Lopez Morales and Brustad combined for a block and the game-clinching point. Eastern won the game 3-2 after a 21-19, fifth-set win.

Eastern hit .170 in the game and TAMC had a .149 percentage.

Key Statistics
Lindsey Russell recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 43 assists and 15 digs. She has 15 double-doubles in her career now. Russell matched her career high in digs.

Sage Brustad had a game-high, 21 kills, while hitting .148. It was Brustad's third 20-point kill game of the season. Brustad added nine digs and a career high, four block assists. Brustad earned her 500 career kill in the game and has 511 total now. 

Eastern had nine blocks in the game, while the Lions had eight.

Makenna Collins had 13 digs and set a career high with eight assists.

Sadie Bacon had 14 kills and hit .406, adding four block assists and nine digs.

Alyssa Radke scored 11 kills and hit .143 in the game.

Katie Fleck had seven kills and 11 digs.

The Eagles had five service aces and 17 errors. TAMC had three aces and 11 errors.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will start Big Sky competition on the road against Montana State on Thursday, Sep. 22 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. The Eagles then host Portland State on Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7 p.m.