BOSIE, Idaho. – Eastern Washington battled past Sacramento State in five sets, earning a 3-2 victory (25-17, 12-25, 25-16, 12-25, 15-10).
Kalista Lukovich led the Eagles with 16 kills and 12 digs for a double-double.
Judith Bolomboy added seven kills on 10 attacks, hitting .600, while recording six blocks and three service aces.
Sidney Gray finished with six kills and four blocks, while
Jailyn Davenport directed the offense with 29 assists to go along with 11 digs and five blocks.
Elle Bruegman led the back row with 17 digs as Eastern totaled 10 blocks in the win.
"I'm really pumped with the result," said head coach
Jon Haruguchi. "That's a quality team, and we needed everyone to pull together to earn that win. We struggled at times, but we never gave up and continued to battle. That resilience and the way we stayed together is what I'm most proud of."
Eastern pulled away from Sacramento State to take the opening set, 25-17. After a back-and-forth start, the Eagles created separation behind Lukovich and strong play at the net, building a 12-7 advantage. The Hornets cut into the lead, but Eastern responded as Lukovich continued to pace the attack. Gray and
Aspyn Reed added kills down the stretch before a Sacramento State service error secured the opening set.
The Hornets answered in the second, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Eastern battled back behind kills from Gray and Bolomboy to trim the deficit to 8-6, but Sacramento State regained control with a 7-2 run.
Carlyn Rapozo-Kamoku provided a spark off the bench with two kills, but the Hornets pulled away for a 25-12 win to even the match.
Eastern responded immediately in the third. Bolomboy powered an early run from the service line with three aces as the Eagles raced out to a 7-1 advantage. Sacramento State closed within three at 15-12, but Eastern answered behind Lukovich,
Bria Carlisle and Davenport. The Eagles regained control down the stretch to take the set, 25-16, and move ahead 2-1.
Sacramento State responded in the fourth, overcoming an early 2-0 Eastern lead with a 17-2 run. The Eagles looked to battle back behind kills from Bolomboy, Lukovich and
Reese Betschart, but the Hornets maintained control and took the set, 25-12, to force a fifth.
Eastern came out firing in the deciding set, jumping ahead 4-1 behind kills from Bolomboy, Gray, Lukovich and
Erin McInnes. The Eagles extended their advantage to 11-6 before Sacramento State made one final push, cutting the lead to 11-9. Eastern remained composed, scoring four of the final five points to close out the set, 15-10, and secure the five-set victory.
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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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