Fighting Irish Spike Eagles Eastern Ends Fine Season After Flubbing Big Chance

Eastern Washington volleyball coach Pamela Parks said she’ll remember Friday night’s NCAA volleyball tournament match as one the Eagles “shoulda, woulda, coulda.”

But the Eagles didn’t - losing to Notre Dame 15-2, 13-15, 15-11, 15-11 in a Mountain Region first-round match hosted by Stanford University in Maples Pavilion.

The loss ended the Eagles’ season at 24-6. The .800 winning percentage was the best in team history. Notre Dame (18-12) moves into tonight’s second round where the Fighting Irish will meet two-time defending national champion Stanford. The Cardinal (26-3) defeated Southeast Missouri State (24-12) in the nightcap 15-10, 10-15, 15-7, 15-7.

“It’s frustrating, because this was a team we could have beaten,” Parks said about Notre Dame. “We did not handle the ball well. The passing, digging and ball control were off.”

Eastern star Kim Exner - whose 5.35 kills per game rank seventh in the country - was held to 15 kills on a season-low .051 hitting. She had 13 attack errors and a team-high 14 digs.

As a team, the Eagles hit a season-low .120 to Notre Dame’s .259.

Exner, the two-time Big Sky Conference MVP, had a .385 hitting percentage entering the match, 17th-best nationally.

In Friday’s match, she lined up as a right-side hitter for three games in an effort to mix things up as well as give the Eagles a taller lineup. The senior returned to her natural middle blocker position in the final game

“It worked out OK,” Parks said. “(Exner’s below-par hitting percentage) had a lot to do with the fact we were not passing effectively. When we’d throw up a ball, if the passers don’t pass well, it was obvious where the setter is going to put up the ball. So, the block was right there.”

Notre Dame, the 10th-best blocking team nationwide with 3.31 blocks per game, outblocked the Eagles 16-8. Exner and middle blocker Whitney Lewis each had five block assists.

Right-side hitter Kristy Kreher hurt Eastern the most, finishing with a triple double. The 6-foot-1 freshman lefty had 24 kills on .541 hitting. She accounted for 14 digs and 14 assists in a Notre Dame offense that saw three players finish with 14 or more assists.

After a quick 15-2 first-game loss, the Eagles came back in the second game and led by as much as 9-2. Notre Dame closed the gap to 13-11 before Eastern leveled the match at one game apiece.

“I’m sure some of it had to do with the jitters (in the first game),” Parks said. “Plus, Notre Dame was doing a nice job serving. I was very proud of the way they came out the second game.”

In the third game, the score was tied as late as 7-7, but Eastern never managed to take the lead. In the final game, Eastern was ahead 7-6 before Notre Dame tied it and took the lead for good.