CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington volleyball fell to Montana State in four sets Thursday evening at Reese Court. The Bobcats took the match by set scores of 25-21, 25-17, 21-25 and 25-8, dropping the Eagles to 10-17 overall and 4-11 in Big Sky Conference play.
Carlyn Rapozo-Kamoku led Eastern with 10 kills, 11 digs and three solo blocks for her third double-double of the season.
Bria Carlisle added eight kills, while
Aspyn Reed finished with six.
Jailyn Davenport recorded a double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs, while
Elle Bruegman added seven digs. The Eagles totaled 34 kills, 44 digs and 12 blocks, doubling Montana State's six.
"I thought we had kind of turned the corner there in the third set, and then we just came out really flat," head coach
Jon Haruguchi said. "It was a really hard way to lose that one. But I think we did see some bright spots against a very good team."
Eastern struggled early in the opening set as Montana State jumped out to an 8-2 advantage. The Eagles responded to cut the deficit to 9-7 behind strong blocking and a kill from Rapozo-Kamoku. Reed provided five kills in the frame, helping Eastern pull within 23-20 before falling 25-21.
The Eagles carried momentum into the second set, taking an early 6-3 lead behind blocks from Carlisle and
Judith Bolomboy and a service ace from
Stephanie Groswirt. Eastern extended its advantage to 11-8 before Montana State responded with six consecutive points to take control and secure the set, 25-17.
Eastern answered in the third set, building an 8-4 advantage behind strong defensive play and a service ace from
Jade Livingston. The Eagles extended their lead to 16-11 before Montana State cut the deficit to one. Eastern responded with a four-point stretch highlighted by kills from Rapozo-Kamoku and Carlisle. Carlisle delivered the set-winning kill to secure the 25-21 victory.
Montana State regained control in the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead before extending its advantage to 17-4. Despite late kills from
Ziah Sneva, Eastern fell 25-8.
Rapozo-Kamoku credited her teammates for her recent offensive success.
"It just all starts with a pass from my team," Rapozo-Kamoku said. "I just rely on my teammates a lot, and it comes from the pass, and then the set, and I just go up and hit the ball."
Up Next
Eastern Washington hosts Montana on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2:00 p.m. in its final home match of the season. The Eagles will celebrate Senior Day, honoring
Kalista Lukovich,
Elle Bruegman,
Cassandra Moeller and
Erin McInnes.
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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
