EWU loses to Weber State, heads next to Montana
Eastern Washington University’s Olivia Burns faces off against Weber State Nov. 8. The Eagles will take to the road this week, playing Montana State tonight and Montana on Saturday.
COURTESY PHOTO/EWU ATHLETICS
CHENEY — The Eastern Washington University volleyball team fell Friday to Weber State 20-25, 15-25 and 23-25, according to a statement from EWU Athletics.
“I feel like I'm a broken record here where I come in and get a chance to express some things, and it's like we're always making some really good strides and just coming up a little bit short,” said head coach Jon Haruguchi. "Again, that's kind of the story of today, but I'm real proud of how we fought throughout this match. I thought we did some really, really nice things – you know, we had a really nice standout performance from (Cassandra Moeller) here, and she's been working a lot in practice, so it's really nice to see that come through in a match.”
The Wildcats controlled the tempo from the start, applying offensive pressure and finding separation using five straight points to go up 24-18, according to a statement from Weber State University Athletics, and then secured the set on a kill from Brielle Rueckert, 25-20. Weber State used a 6-0 run early to take a 6-1 advantage over the Eagles in the second set. Continuing that momentum, another six-point run boosted the Wildcats to a 17-8 lead. The set closed 25-15.
The Eagles were able to stay close behind the Wildcats at 18-17 in the third set, according to Weber State Athletics, but three straight kills by the Wildcats resulted in an Eastern Washington timeout. Returning from the break, the Eagles battled using three points to trail 22-21, but a kill by Rose Moore and two by Jayda Tupea then secured the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
The Eagles’ offense was led by Kalista Lukovich with 11 kills, and Moeller had a career night, according to EWU.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first – definitely felt that rush of adrenaline," Moeller said. "My main goal was just to come in, swing, be aggressive, and not worry about mistakes. I've been working on hitting the edges of the block in practice, and that's been working well for me, so I stuck with that game plan.”
EWU will take on Montana State tonight and Montana on Saturday.