The grit and toughness were on display for Eastern Washington volleyball on Friday night, as they defeated Montana State, 3-2[25-22, 26-28, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11]. The Eagles rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Bobcats for the first time in five seasons.
Eastern Washington improves to 4-6 in conference and 9-13 overall this season. Montana State falls to 5-6 in the Big Sky and 9-14 overall.
"I think we saw our focus all night long in taking care of our effort and attitude on the court. It propelled us to that fifth set," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "In the fifth set, we took care of our game behind the service line. We did a nice job there and put pressure on [Montana State]. We want to have a balanced attack. I think that in the first couple of sets, our left sides were having some trouble. We told them to keep going and fighting and they really stepped up towards the end of the game."
Ka'ehukaiiha'amaina'e Keala was a major factor in the win, notching her first career double-double.
"It feels amazing. and we've never beaten Montana State while I've been here," Keala explained. "Credit to my teammates and coaches with what we do every day in practice. It's following the game plan. It's not what [the opponents] are doing, but what we do to prepare. It's been a different season for me, especially in my senior season. My teammates make me better every day. I think the biggest thing that they tell me is to not hold back and don't be afraid to take risks. They are my biggest motivators."
Beginning in the first set, the two teams swung aggressively and the score was close early on. Alyssa Radke picked up where she left off from Thursday night, with two quick kills. The score was tied at nine, before a Bobcat error and another kill from Radke would give Eastern the lead. MSU regained the lead with a 4-0 run and forced an Eagle timeout. Eastern did continue to attack well, getting kills from Sage Brustad and Renata Lopez Morales. After the Bobcats had built a 19-16 lead, the Eagles would rally to tie the game at 20. Lopez Morales provided a kill and a block assist with Keala. MSU would pull ahead, 22-20, but the Eagles still had a run in them. Eastern rallied with a 5-0 burst to take the set 25-22 and a 1-0 lead in the game. The run was sparked by two service aces from Leah McAdams.
In the set, the Eagles hit .159 and held MSU to a .100 stat line.
Going to the second, Eastern looked to keep the momentum going. After falling behind 4-2, the Eagles managed to tie the set up at five on a kill from Keala. Brustad would deliver an ace on the next serve to give the Eagles the lead. The set stayed close as the Bobcats did not back down and would retake the lead quickly. MSU would push its advantage out to 14-11 and they continued to hold Eastern at arm's length. Sadie Bacon found her swing and delivered two kills for the Eagles to keep the score close. Eastern pulled within one of the Eagles at 20-19, following a 3-0 run, highlighted by a solo block from Lopez Morales. The teams traded points and ended up tied at 24. A Bobcat attack error gave Eastern a chance at set point, but they could not convert. A kill form Brustad would give the Eagles another chance, but again were unable to end the set. MSU then went on a 3-0 run to win the set, 28-26, and tie the game at one.
Eastern had a .195 attack percentage in the set. The Bobcats had a .294 percentage.
With the game now tied, Eastern and MSU both looked to gain the early edge. The Bobcats were in front early, with a 6-3 lead. MSU would build its lead to 12-7 as they continued to serve effectively. Brustad and Radke continued to attack and tried to keep the Bobcats in striking distance. Despite the effort, MSU continued to extend the lead, getting it to 17-11 and forcing a timeout from the Eagles. A 5-2 stretch would get Eastern within three, using kills from Bacon and Keala. MSU countered with a 6-3 stretch win the set, 25-19, and they had a 2-1 lead in the game.
The Eagles improved to hit .209 in the set, but MSU fired off a .326 attack percentage.
Facing the 2-1 deficit, Eastern came out determined to tie the game. The Eagles opened with an 8-5 lead, getting two kills from Brustad. MSU would tie the game at eight, but Eastern quickly got the lead back with a kill from Brustad. Eastern would build some separation from MSU at 14-11 on another kill from Radke. The score tightened up as the Bobcats' offense was effective. Late in the set, the score was tied six times. At 23 all, Bacon delivered a clutch kill for the lead. MSU would commit an attack error on the next point and the Eagles won the set, 25-23, tying the game up at two.
Eastern had a .167 attack percentage in the fourth set, while the Bobcats hit only .140.
Tied up, the game went to the fifth set and MSU jumped out early with a 4-2 lead. At 6-3 Bobcats, the Eagles fired off a 3-0 run to tie the set up. Eastern had kills from Keala and Brustad, along with an ace from McAdams. The Bobcats built the lead back up to 10-8, but eastern tied the set up at 10. Radke and Keala carried the Eagles down the finishing stretch, each recording two kills. Bacon delivered the clinching kill and Eastern won the game 3-2 after a 15-11 win in the fifth set. Eastern had its best hitting set in the fifth, finishing with a .276 percentage. MSU hit .192 in the final set.
The Eagles had a .196 attack percentage for the game and the Bobcats hit .210.
Key Statistics
Eastern Washington earned its first win over Montana State since Sep. 23rd, 2017. The game was also a 3-2 victory at home.
The Eagles had four players in double figures for kills. The team recorded a season high 64 kills and 199 total attacks.
Alyssa Radke led Eastern with 16 kills on 56 total attacks for a .161 attack percentage.
Ka'ehukaiiha'amaina'e Keala recorded her first career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Keala had a .189 attack percentage.
Sage Brustad had 14 kills and a career high, 17 digs, while hitting .205. She added two service aces and three block assists.
Lindsey Russell recorded 52 assists for her third game this season with 50 or more assists.
Eastern had eight service aces and nine errors. Montana State had seven aces and eight errors.
The Eagles had an 11.0 to 10.0 edge in blocking over the Bobcats. Renata Lopez Morales led the team with six block assists and one solo block. The senior matched her career high in blocks for the second straight game.
Up Next
Eastern Washington will travel to play Idaho State on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and Weber State on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m.
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