BOZEMAN, Mont. — Eastern Washington finished with 52 kills and 75 digs in the four-set battle against Montana State.
Kalista Lukovich led the Eagles with 18 kills and 10 digs for a double-double, adding three total blocks.
Aspyn Reed followed with 15 kills and six digs, while
Bria Carlisle recorded nine kills on a .259 hitting percentage.
Jailyn Davenport dished out 41 assists and added 16 digs, while
Elle Bruegman anchored the defense with a team-high 22 digs.
Judith Bolomboy led Eastern at the net with six blocks as the Eagles totaled 12 blocks as a team.
"I believe we saw that if we play to our abilities, we will be in matches," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "We can't hang our heads after this one. We played very well at times and so did MSU. We will get back at it and work at getting more consistent. In the end MSU was more consistent and that's the difference."
Eastern Washington rallied late to take the opening set over Montana State, 25-22. Trailing 19-17, the Eagles rattled off four straight points, highlighted by solo blocks from Lukovich and
Sidney Gray and back-to-back kills from Lukovich to take a 21-19 lead. Lukovich added another block and kill down the stretch before Reed sealed the set with a kill.
The second set turned into a back-and-forth battle, with Montana State edging Eastern, 28-26. Reed gave the Eagles a 21-19 advantage before the Bobcats responded with four straight points. Eastern battled back to earn set point at 24-23, and a Lukovich kill gave the Eagles another opportunity at 25-24, but Montana State survived the extended frame to even the match.
Montana State carried the momentum into the third, taking a 25-20 win. Eastern faced a 17-10 deficit before mounting a late push, with a
Reese Betschart service ace trimming the margin to 19-16. Lukovich added three kills late in the frame, but the Bobcats held off the Eagles to take a 2-1 match lead.
Eastern came out strong in the fourth, building an early 6-2 advantage behind back-to-back Reed kills. Montana State worked its way back and used a 5-0 run to turn a 15-12 Eastern lead into a 17-15 Bobcat advantage. Lukovich continued to provide the offense down the stretch, but Montana State pulled away late for a 25-21 set win to close out the match.
Up Next
Eastern Washington returns home to continue Big Sky play against Montana on Thursday, Oct. 8. First serve is set for 6 p.m. at Reese Court.
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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