Eastern Washington volleyball opened Big Sky competition Thursday night, traveling to Bozeman, Mont. to play Montana State. The Eagles fell in the game, 0-3, against the Bobcats.

"We are a work in progress," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "Each night we step on the floor, we have an opportunity to work on our game. We did not get the outcome we were hoping for, but we look forward to our match at home on Saturday."

The first set was tightly contested, as both teams adjusted to familiar opponents. MSU was out in front 5-2, but Eastern tied the score on a kill from Alyssa Radke. The Bobcats continued to score efficiently and then took another lead at 14-9, following a 4-0 run. The Eagles strung kills together and would tie the set at 16, using a 6-2 stretch. After tying twice more, Eastern took the lead at 19-18 with Sadie Bacon delivering the go-ahead kill. MSU responded, tying and then racing ahead 21-19. The Bobcats would then extend their lead and ended up winning, 25-21.

Eastern trailed 0-1 after hitting .170 in the first set. MSU had a .372 attack percentage.

With the lead, the Bobcats jumped on the Eagles quickly in the second set with a 9-3 run. MSU limited its errors and remained aggressive in its attacks to extend the lead to 15-6. Eastern used a 5-1 run to make the set competitive. The Bobcat attack was still a difficult assignment for the Eagles defense. MSU went on to win the set 25-14 and had a 2-0 game lead.

The Eagles' attack was limited to a .081 attack percentage, while the Bobcats stayed consistent with a .353 percentage.

In the third set, Eastern had the opening advantage, leading 4-3 and 5-4, as Radke continued to score well for the Eagles. MSU responded with a 6-1 run to take control of the set. A block from Radke and Renata Lopez Morales would pull the score back to 11-9, but the Bobcats would score the next two points. MSU maintained its lead and kept Eastern at arm's length. The Bobcats won the third set, 25-18, and had a 3-0 win in the game. The Eagles hit .088 in the third and MSU was at .250.

Overall, Eastern held a .119 attack percentage. The Bobcats had an efficient night with a .325 mark. The Eagles are now 0-1 in conference and 5-8 overall. MSU is 1-0 and 5-8 this season.

Key Statistics
Lindsey Russell posted her sixth double-double of the season with 29 assists and 10 digs. It is her 16^th career double-double.

Alyssa Radke matched her career high with 15 kills against Montana St., while hitting .286. Radke also had the game-high for kills Thursday night.

Eastern had three service aces and four service errors. MSU had three aces and seven errors.

The Eagles finished with 33 kills and 19 attack errors. The Bobcats and 48 kills and 10 errors.

Makenna Collins had 15 digs for her eighth game with double-digit digs this season.

Sage Brustad had eight kills and seven digs, adding one service ace.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will return to Reese Court for its regular season and conference home opener against Portland State on Saturday, Sep. 24 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.