CHENEY, Wash.— Eastern closed the season on a high note, sweeping Portland State on senior day. The Eagles were fueled by a balanced attack, highlighted by
Kalista Lukovich who had 14 kills on .429 hitting.
Anna Bolich directed the offense with 24 assists, while
Elle Bruegman collected 12 digs to anchor the defense. At the net,
Alyssa Radke led with three blocks, and both
Judith Bolomboy and
Erin McInnes added two apiece.
Head Coach
Jon Haruguchi described the win as especially meaningful, saying,
"This has been one of the most challenging seasons of my entire coaching career. And to go out and send our seniors off with a hard-fought win…I couldn't imagine anything different. That was a pretty special win against a quality team."
Senior day opened with Radke's first kill of the match and a solo block by McInnes for a quick 2–0 lead. Eastern pushed ahead 4–1 before Portland State answered with a 4–0 run to take control. The set remained tight as it approached the 20-point mark, where the Eagles struck first. The Vikings surged ahead 22–20, but Bolomboy's emphatic block tied things at 22–22. Eastern held their composure, taking the opener 26–24.
The Vikings jumped ahead early in the second set, forcing an Eastern timeout at 7–2. The Eagles battled back within two before PSU regained a small cushion. From there, Eastern surged behind big swings from Lukovich and Bolomboy to claim a 17–16 lead. After the Vikings briefly stopped the momentum, Eastern responded with six straight points and closed out the frame 25–19.
As the Eagles carried their momentum into set three, Bolich, one of three honored seniors, reflected on what the program has meant to her, saying,
"The friendships I've made here are incredible. Our program isn't defined by wins and losses—it's defined by our relationships. I wish I could've been here from freshman to senior year."
Eastern stormed ahead 8–3 and later 18–11, but the Vikings rallied late to close within 21–19. The Eagles stayed poised, finishing the match 25–22 to complete the sweep.
Haruguchi emphasized how much the day mattered to the entire group:
"What we do is hard. What these guys do is challenging. I don't want to dismiss today—it deserves to be celebrated."
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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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