Kirkland, WA - The Eagles volleyball team fall short against a surging Eastern Oregon team, 3-2.
The Eagles were looking to continue their five-game winning streak against the Mountaineers, who rank first in the conference. The Eagles fought hard all game long but couldn't capitalize on the final set.
The first set began with the Eagles starting hot, going up four points. However, as the set progressed, the Mountaineers went on 5-1 stretch to take the lead, 13-12. The last leg was back-and-forth, but the Eagles avoided the scare for a 25-23 win.
The second set had a bunch of big momentum swings. The Eagles went up 3-1 in the beginning, but the Mountaineers came back with six unanswered to lead, 7-3. The Eagles responded by tying, but the Mountaineers pulled away again, 12-7. The Eagles would not find the lead for the rest of the set as the Mountaineers won the set, 25-20.
The third set saw a lot of service errors from both sides, but it was even for a majority of the set. Each team traded blows and momentum swings, and while the Eagles held on close, the Mountaineers took the win, 25-23, and the lead in the game.
The Mountaineers began the fourth set with a 6-1 start, showing dominance early. The Eagles then chipped away at the Mountaineers with several three-point stretches to eventually take the lead, 21-19. The Eagles finished off with a spirited 25-21 win.
The Kristi Brodin Pavillion was buzzing for set five as the Eagles sought a massive upset. The Mountaineers started with a 3-0 lead, but the Eagles responded with four unanswered. It would be back-and-forth; however, the Mountaineers locked in and pulled off the set and the win, 15-11.
Azaria Johnson took command at the front of the net for the Eagles, scoring 17 kills, and Aubree Dees helped out on offense with 10 kills on the night. On the backend, Morgan Harter had herself a game with 22 digs, with libero Ellie Van Berkum contributing with 19 digs.
"After a tough, five-set win last night, we were anxious to see how our ladies would respond to the challenge of playing a top 10 Eastern Oregon team," said Head Coach Steven Bain. "They answered the question early in the match, and it was a defensive battle from start to finish, with both teams competing with maximum effort. Extending the match to a fifth set showed tremendous resolve by our ladies, but credit Eastern Oregon for playing clean when the match was on the line to close out the match. Still, we learned a great deal about our team this weekend and look forward to getting back to work as we prepare for the next round of competition."
