PORTLAND, Ore. — Eastern Washington endured a difficult weekend at the Portland Tournament, falling to CSUN (3-1), Colorado State (3-0), and Portland (3-0). Despite the results, the Eagles showed grit across the three matches and had several strong individual performances.
"We made a few nice adjustments this weekend and saw our play improve from last weekend," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "Unfortunately, we are still not where we want to be but glad to see we are making strides. I reminded them that progress isn't a straight line but we are moving in the right direction. We'll get back at it this weekend and keep working."
Kalista Lukovich and
Quincy Moran paced the offense with 28 and 26 kills, while setter
Anna Bolich dished out 64 assists. Defensively,
Elle Bruegman led with 43 digs, and
Judith Bolomboy stood tall at the net with 12 total blocks (11 assisted, one solo).
Match Recaps
EWU vs. CSUN
The Eagles stumbled out of the gate as CSUN raced to a 9-0 start in set one and eventually won 25-14. Eastern regrouped in set two, keeping it tight before narrowly falling 25-23. The highlight of the match came in the third set, where Eastern showed resilience. After trailing by five midway through, the Eagles tied the score at 19 and forced extra points, fending off nine set points before clinching a thrilling 36-34 win. The momentum was short-lived, though, as CSUN took control of the fourth with an early run, pulling away for a 25-11 victory and the 3-1 match win.
EWU vs. Colorado State
Colorado State started fast, using a 4-0 run to seize the first set 25-16. The Rams dominated the second frame behind a 10-0 surge, winning 25-12. Eastern's best chance came in set three, where they built a 21-17 lead, but Colorado State rallied with seven straight points to edge the Eagles 25-23 and complete the sweep.
EWU vs. Portland
The Pilots struck first in set one and never let go of momentum, winning 25-15. Eastern battled in the second, staying close throughout and even leading briefly after a 5-0 run, but Portland answered late to take it 25-21. The Eagles came out strong in the third, stringing together a 9-0 run for an 11-7 lead. Portland, however, stormed back with timely runs of their own, eventually sealing the set 25-23 and the sweep.
Next Up
Eastern Washington remains on the road for the third straight week, traveling to Reno for the Nevada Invitational. The Eagles face host Nevada on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., then take on CSU Bakersfield on Friday, Sept. 12, before wrapping up the weekend against Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 13.
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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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