SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the second time this season, Eastern Washington volleyball saw, first-hand, the skill of the top team in the conference. The Eagles lost to Sacramento State on the road, 3-1. Eastern's record falls to 4-8 in the Big Sky and 10-14 overall.
EWU was held to a .086 attack percentage for the game, while Sac. St. finished at .266. Sage Brustad and Kalista Lukovich each recorded eight kills to lead the team.
"We did some really good things tonight and also I saw where we need to keep working," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We will get back after it on Saturday and work on making those adjustments."
The Hornets seized control in the first set, leading 10-4 early to put the Eagles in a hole. Eastern could not put together enough points to match the efficiency of Sac. St.'s hitters. With a .469 attack percentage, the Hornets won the first set, 25-15, and had the lead in the game.
In the second set, the score was close as the Eagles found some rhythm with Bri Gunderson recording a kill and two block assists early. After being tied at nine, Sac. St. began to separate from Eastern, pushing out to a 14-10 lead. The Hornets continued to swing aggressively in the set and won 25-21 after hitting .216 and holding EWU to a .075 percentage. Sac. St. now led the game 2-0.
The Eagles' response was strong in the third set, racing out to a 7-3 advantage, keyed by a pair of aces from Brustad. Eastern's lead ballooned to 18-9 with block assists from Gunderson and Brustad. The Hornets had a 6-0 run to cut into the lead and managed to tie the set at 20. Sac. St. then took a 23-21 lead. EWU focused in and ripped off a 4-0 run to survive and win the set, 25-23. Makenna Collins dropped in the clinching point with an ace and Eastern cut the lead to 2-1 in the game.
Sac. St. rebounded in the fourth set, hitting .256 with 14 kills. EWU's offense sputtered with a -.069 attack percentage, registering only four kills. The Hornets earned a 25-14 win in the set to secure the 3-1 win over the Eagles.
Eagle Notes
- With eight kills in the game, Sage Brustad is now three away from 1000 for her career.
- Kate Hatch tallied 13 assists and sits at 1988 total for her collegiate career.
- Makenna Collins led the team with 19 digs and has 973 total in her career.
- Eastern had nine aces in the game, led by four from Brustad.
- Bri Gunderson led the Eagles with six block assists. Eastern was out-blocked in the game, 11.0 to 9.0.
Up Next
Eastern Washington closes out its regular season road schedule with a matchup against Portland State on Saturday (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.
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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