CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington volleyball opened Big Sky Conference play on Tuesday night at Reese Court, pushing Montana State to the brink before falling in a five-set heartbreaker (12-25, 25-18, 25-23, 18-25, 11-15).
After a slow start in the opening set, the Eagles bounced back with intensity and grit. Sparked by strong serving runs from
Jailyn Davenport and
Anna Bolich, Eastern took control in the second frame to even the match, then followed with a disciplined defensive effort to edge Montana State in set three, 25-23.
"You know, blocking has been a key point in our last four matches, and that is the one section we're gonna win today," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "I think we're doing a really good job at the net blocking, just being disciplined. One thing that we talk about a lot on this team is how can we be disciplined over time? And I think that we really showed that today. Staying disciplined through a five-set match is hard, but I think we did that really well."
The Bobcats answered in the fourth to push the match to a decisive fifth set, where Eastern battled but came up just short. Despite the setback, the Eagles saw bright spots across the board.
Kalista Lukovich led the offense with 11 kills, while Bolich and
Judith Bolomboy added a combined 21 points at the net. Davenport tallied three aces and 17 digs, and libero
Elle Bruegman anchored the back row with 19 digs. EWU also won the blocking battle, 10.0 to 9.0.
"I think we did a really good job responding after the first set," said
Anna Bolich. "Our theme has been about being good over time, and we're still trying to find that consistency. Tonight showed promise, but we'll go back to practice this week and keep working on ways to stay consistent and competitive."
Looking ahead, Haruguchi emphasized continued growth in preparation for the upcoming stretch of conference play.
"Our block is something we take pride in, but it's also something we have to work on every single day," Haruguchi said. "Our ball control kind of ebbed and flowed tonight. When we took care of that first contact, we were very tough, and when we didn't, it showed. We've got to keep working through those things. Northern Colorado brings a different challenge, so we'll make sure we're ready."
Eastern moves to 2-11 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play, while Montana State improves to 6-6, 1-0. The Eagles continue league action on the road this weekend, traveling to face Northern Colorado.
Up Next
The Eagles now turn their attention to Greeley, Colo., where they'll face Northern Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. PT.
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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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