PRE-MATCH NOTES (PDF)
CHARLESTON, Ill. --Â After playing on the road last week, Eastern Illinois volleyball returns home for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference matches that will correspond with upcoming 2013 Homecoming festivities.
EIU will entertain Austin Peay (8-14/5-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 18), before hosting Murray State (12-8/2-4) on Saturday (Oct. 19) evening at 6 p.m.
Panthers enter the weekend at 9-10 overall and an even 3-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
PANTHER QUICK SETS
• EIU is one of just two OVC squads that sport a perfect home mark. The Panthers are 2-0 thus far this season, while Friday's opponent, APSU, owns a 4-0 home record.
• Despite less-than-stellar hitting last weekend, the Panthers still continue to own the top team attack in the OVC at .224 overall, and a second-place .222 average in league-only play.
• EIU also holds onto top conference ranks for assists-per-set (12.55/14.31) and kills-per-set (13.65/14.88) numbers for overall play/OVC-only action.
• In individual OVC Top 5 ranks, three Panthers sit atop the league, led by sophomore Marah Bradbury's 10.82/12.21 assists-per-set marks for the season/OVC-play. Senior Stephanie Arnold owns the best hitting % (.361) for the entire season, while her classmate, Reynae Hutchinson, currently sports the best kills (3.92 kps) and points (4.29 pps) tally in OVC-only matchups.
• Two Panthers have already nabbed weekly OVC honors, with sophomore Marah Bradbury, having recently earned her third consecutive 'Setter of the Week' honors, and fifth all-time, a week ago. Classmate Chelsea Lee also picked up her first-ever 'Offensive Player of the Week' honor back on Sep. 9.
• Team-wise, the Panthers currently have the advantage over their competition in nearly every statistical category, as EIU leads in kills (995-935), attack (.224-.208), assists (919-874), digs (1083-1020), and points (1209.5-1174.5). Eastern currently trails their opposition in aces and blocks.
SCOUTING THE LADY GOVS
• APSU enters the match with a 5-1 league mark to sit all alone in the OVC West Division standings, while sporting just a 8-14 overall mark.
• Friday's matchup between EIU and APSU will mark the 35th meeting between the Panthers and Lady Govs, with the all-time DI series history currently tied at 17-all.
• APSU has actually won eight of the last ten meetings over the Panthers, yet EIU earned a home win over the Lady Govs last fall as Eastern clawed past Peay in a five-set affair.
• Senior Calyn Hull lead five different Lady Govs with triple-digit kill numbers, as she owns 218 put-downs behind a .154 attack.
• Junior Jada Stotts and freshman Sammie Ebright follow with 163 and 162 kills, respectively, while senior Lauren Henderson not only sports the top APSU serve with 30 aces, but is also a threat at the net with a team-high 56 blocks, in addition to her 150 put-a-ways.
• Junior setter Cami Fields runs the offense with 657 assists, while sophomore libero April Adams' 240 digs leads her squad.
AN EYE ON THE RACERS
• Prior to traveling to SIU Edwardsville on Friday evening, the Racers own a 12-8 overall mark, but are just 2-4 in league play.
• Saturday's matchup will mark the 39th matchup between EIU and MUR, with the Panthers enjoying a 21-17 series lead, which includes winning both meetings last fall.
• In fact, in EIU's home sweep of the Racers last season, the Panthers hit a season-high .418 for the match, which included zero hitting miscues in the first set for a .704 clip.
• Sophomore Alyssa Lelm leads her squad with 259 kills and a .354 attack, while also making her presence known at the net behind a team-best 42 stuffs.
• Freshman Scottie Ingram and sophomore Taylor Olden follow with respective 225 and 204 put-downs, while fellow sophomore Emily Schmahl and newcomer Kamille Jones also sport over 100 kills this season.
• Sophomore setter Sam Bedard owns 720 assists and hits .276 on the year when necessary, while four different players have double-digit aces on the season, with senior Katlyn Hudson and Olden owning 21 and 20 non-returnable serves, respectively.
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK
• After hosting Austin Peay and Murray State this weekend, the Panthers will turn around and reface both squads on the road next Friday and Saturday. Except EIU will first take on the Racers on Friday before traveling to play the Lady Govs on Saturday.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
