CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington volleyball put together a gritty effort at Reese Court Thursday night but came up short in a four-set battle against Idaho State, falling 20–25, 17–25, 25–20, 22–25. The Eagles showed fight after dropping the first two sets, rallying to win the third with strong serving and improved execution, but the Bengals closed out the match late in the fourth to secure the win.
Head Coach
Jon Haruguchi said afterward, "Yeah, that's a tough loss. We came out and really started playing our game early. They bounced back and then we countered, and in the end we just had a couple of untimely unforced errors. They got the ball to bounce their way a little bit, but we can't take a play off because that's too good a team for us to do that to, and unfortunately it just didn't go our way tonight."
Senior outside hitter
Kalista Lukovich led the way for Eastern with an impressive 18 kills, four aces, and seven digs. Reflecting on her performance, she said, "I think I just realized I had to make a change. I've been in a rut the past month and was able to get out of it last game against Idaho. I took some time to reflect on what I've been working on mentally, flipped the switch, and just turned my brain off because I know how to play volleyball and just let my arm do its work," said Lukovich.
Defensively,
Elle Bruegman anchored the back row with a standout 20 digs, a performance that caught the coaching staff's attention. "Elle is kind of a rock back there for us," said Haruguchi. "She plays with a very steady, even-keel nature about her, which is always great because it's predictable for us. The same energy level, the same enthusiasm day in and day out—it really showed up today."
Setter
Anna Bolich once again directed the offense with 27 assists and six kills. "She understands our offense and she's very intelligent when it comes to what to do and when to do it," said the coach. "Her connection with the middles has really developed over the last few weeks, and that's opened up opportunities across the net."
The Eagles finished with 44 kills on a .176 hitting percentage compared to Idaho State's 57 kills and .294 clip. Eastern matched the Bengals from the service line with eight aces and out-blocked them nine to four, but Idaho State's efficiency on offense proved to be the difference down the stretch.
Looking ahead, the team remains optimistic. "We've got to keep building off the good things we did tonight, because there was a ton of it," said Haruguchi. "We're starting to pick up a lot of scramble plays, and if we can continue that, I think we'll be in that match for sure." Lukovich added, "The past few games have been really hopeful. I'm working on seeing the growth because I know it's there. If we play like we ended tonight—trusting and confident—we'll be in a really good spot."
Up Next
The Eagles will take on Weber State on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.
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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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