Pre-Weekend Notes (PDF)

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CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois volleyball will take to the road this coming weekend, traveling to the Volunteer State to face Austin Peay and Tennessee State on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, respectively.
 
First serves are scheduled for 7 p.m. and 2 p.m.  The 2011 campaign marks the 30th season that Eastern Illinois volleyball has competed at the NCAA Division I level.

COMPLETE WEEKEND OVC SLATE (all times central)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
  • UTM at EKU ... 6 p.m.
  • JSU at SEMO ... 6:30 p.m.
• EIU at APSU ... 7 p.m.
  • SIUE at TSU ... 7 p.m.
  • TTU at MUR ... 7 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
  • SIUE at APSU ... 1 p.m.
• EIU at TSU ... 2 p.m.
  • JSU at MUR ... 2 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
  • TTU at SEMO ... 2 p.m.
  • UTM at MOR ... 4 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

PANTHERS SNAP LOSING STREAK WITH FIVE-SET THRILLER OVER SIUE
Under second year head coach Kate Price, EIU opened league action at home with three consecutive matches last week.

After dropping tough three and four-set matches to Southeast Missouri (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) and Murray State (25-13, 25-22, 17-25, 25-18) last weekend, the Panthers bounced back by scratching past OVC newcomer SIU Edwardsville in a five-set marathon.

After falling behind 2-0 in the match, EIU turned it around and stunned the Cougars by taking the next three sets for the win (14-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-12) to improve to 3-10 overall and 1-2 in OVC action.

Against SIUE, four different Panthers recorded double-digit kills, led by sophomore Reynae Hutchinson and freshman Katie Kirby with 14 apiece. Kirby also added 14 digs to nab her third double-double of the season. Hutchinson and Kirby also finished with respective .323 and .258 attacks.

Juniors Emily Franklin and Alison Berens chipped in 11 and 10 kills, respectively, as Berens also hit over .200 at .238 on the night. Sophomore Amy Martin, with nine kills, led all Panthers with a .444 attack percentage, as she registered just one hitting miscue.

Freshman Jill Johnson earned her second start at setter in her early Panther career and made the most of her opportunity as she dished out 54 assists to set a new single-match high this season. Playing the entire match, she also earned five kills off a .308 attack and recorded three blocks.

In other defensive numbers, Berens led all EIU blockers with six stuffs, while Franklin followed with four.

Senior libero Brittany Wallace led all players with 18 digs, while defensive specialist Kat Gosewisch added 12 digs.

Team-wise, the Panthers led the Cougars in several stat categories, including hitting (.256 to .209), total attacks (156 to 153), kills (64 to 57), assists (62 to 55), and digs (63 to 61).

QUICK LOOK AT THE UPCOMING COMPETITION
The defending OVC Tournament Champion and NCAA Tournament participant, the Austin Peay squad enters the weekend at just 2-11 and winless in league action at 0-2.

Junior Nikki Doyle leads the team with 163 kills (3.47 kps) and a .214 attack. She also has six aces, 122 digs and 12 total blocks to her credit.

Newcomer Hillary Plybon sports the top attack at .241 with 94 kills and a 2.19 kps mark.

Fellow freshman Cami Fields runs the offense with 456 assists and has 116 digs as well.

Senior Kayla Grantham owns the top service game for APSU with eight aces and also has 23 blocks.  Defensively, Lauren Henderson's 47 stuffs leads all Lady Govs, while libero Paige Economos has upped 190 opponent attacks.

Meeting for the 31st time on the volleyball court, the Panthers and Lady Govs are actually tied at 15-all in the all-time Division I series as APSU has actually won the last six meetings.

Friday night's opponent, the Tennessee State Tigers are current 5-4 overall and an even 1-1 on the season prior to hosting Southeast Missouri on Friday night.

The squad is led by senior standout Shaquita Williams with 125 kills (3.79 kps) and a blistering .358 attack. She also has a wicked serve with 17 aces and has roofed 11 attacks as well.

Sophomore Erika Moss has dished out 303 assists and added seven aces, while junior libero Britani Hathorn leads with 122 digs.

The Panthers own a sizeable 23-5 lead in the all-time series over the Tigers, but the two squads have actually split the seasons' matchups the past couple of years.

EIU VOLLEYBALL REUNION WEEKEND SET FOR OCTOBER 21-22
As Eastern Illinois celebrates its 30th season of NCAA Division I volleyball this year, the athletic department will be hosting a reunion weekend on October 21-22 as part of the EIU Homecoming festivities.

All former EIU volleyball student-athletes from any era have been invited to attend this weekend event.

For more information contact Mary Wallace, EIU Associate Athletic Director/SWA at mewallace@eiu.edu or (217) 581-2310. Attendees may also register online by visiting the volleyball website at www.EIUpanthers.com.

.... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID