MISSOULA, Mont. — The road trip to Montana ended for Eastern Washington volleyball on Saturday with a matchup in Missoula. Eastern lost its road game against the Grizzlies, 3-1, following  a disciplined defensive effort from Montana. The Eagles fall to 2-5 in the Big Sky this season and 8-12 overall. 

Sage Brustad tallied 12 kills and 13 digs, earning her 11th double-double of the season. Kalista Lukovich had 10 kills in the game as well. 

The Grizzlies' defense asserted itself in the first set against the Eagles, holding them to a .077 attack percentage. Eastern had four players with two kills in the opening set, but Montana had the advantage. The Grizzlies won the set, 25-17 and were up 1-0 in the game. 

EWU delivered the response in the second set, winning 25-19 with a .353 attack percentage. Sadie Bacon poured in five kills in the set to power the offensive effort for the Eagles. Eastern's defense held strong, limiting the Grizzlies to a .094 attack percentage. 

The counter from Montana came quickly in the third set, as the Grizzlies earned a 25-22 set win to take the lead in the game. Montana led 20–14 in the set, but the Eagles pulled the lead back to challenge the Grizzlies. The lead was down to 24-22, but Montana managed to get its set point and take control of the game 2-1.

With the lead in the game, Montana cruised in the fourth set, hitting .217 and getting 11 kills. The defense shut down the Eagles, holding them to a -.057 attack percentage. Brustad had five kills in the set to try and keep pace with the Grizzlies, but it was not enough. Montana won the set , 25-14 and the game 3-1. 

Eagle Notes

• Eastern had a 12.0 to 10.0 advantage in blocking. Erin McInnes set a career-high at Eastern with eight block assists. Tanai Jenkins had six block assists, while Bri Gunderson had six total blocks - one solo and five assists. 
• Sage Brustad now has 21 career double-doubles.
• Kalista Lukovich has nine double-digit kills games this season.
• Makenna Collins led Eastern with 18 digs. 
• The Eagles had five aces and 12 errors from the service line. Montana had five aces and five errors.

Up Next
Eastern Washington will play only one game next week, traveling to Moscow, Idaho to play the Vandals on Saturday (Oct. 21) at 12 p.m. Pacific Time. 
 

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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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