CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington earned a four-set victory over Montana to improve to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play.
Kalista Lukovich led the Eagles with 22 kills and 21 digs for a double-double, while
Aspyn Reed added 16 kills and five digs.
Jailyn Davenport finished with 35 assists and 21 digs to go along with five kills on a .364 hitting percentage.
Elle Bruegman added 16 digs, while Eastern totaled 12 blocks as a team in the win.
Sidney Gray had a team-high seven blocks, with
Judith Bolomboy adding five.
"The team really did well tonight to battle back against a solid Montana squad," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "We can see that we need to keep implementing the things we work on in practice and stay the course. Super proud of this group."
Eastern Washington battled back from an early deficit but dropped the opening set to Montana, 25-17. The Eagles erased a four-point gap to pull even at 9-9, with Reed helping spark the comeback. Montana answered with an 8-0 run to regain control, but Lukovich continued to provide a steady presence offensively. Lukovich finished the opening frame with six kills, including three during Eastern's late push.
The Eagles flipped the momentum in the second, earning a 25-19 win to even the match at one set apiece. Eastern broke an 11-11 tie with a 6-0 run, highlighted by kills from Lukovich and Reed along with a solo block from Bolomboy. Montana cut the advantage to two late, but Eastern slammed the door with four straight points. Lukovich delivered a kill to reach set point before Gray and
Bria Carlisle combined for the set-winning block.
Eastern carried that momentum into the third, pulling away for a 25-17 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match. The Eagles' defense at the net fueled an early 11-7 lead before Montana battled back to close the gap. Eastern quickly regained control, with
Reese Betschart delivering back-to-back aces to extend the advantage to 20-15. Lukovich took over down the stretch, recording three kills over Eastern's final five points, including the set-winner.
The Eagles finished the job with a 25-20 victory in the fourth. Reed powered Eastern to an early 7-2 advantage with four kills, but Montana responded and eventually moved ahead 17-15. Eastern answered emphatically, rattling off seven consecutive points behind Reed and a pair of blocks from Bolomboy to surge ahead 22-17. Lukovich pushed the Eagles to set point before Gray put away the final kill to secure the four-set victory.
Up Next
Eastern Washington heads to Bozeman, Mont., to take on Montana State on Saturday, Oct. 3.
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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