Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Eastern Illinois volleyball disposed of instate Ohio Valley Conference foe SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday (Nov. 11) in a four-set affair (20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24) to earn the season sweep of the Cougars and solidify a spot in the upcoming league tourney.
The win moves EIU to an even 14-14 overall and 8-7 in league play, as the Panthers earned their fifth consecutive win over SIUE (14-16/6-9) and now lead the Cougars, 7-4 in the all-time series history.
Currently, EIU sits in a four-way tie for fourth place in the OVC standings along side Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech.Juniors
Abby Saalfrank and
Chelsea Lee paced the Panthers off respective 14 and 11 kill performances, while classmate
Kayla Nesbitt chipped in nine put-aways of her own of a .308 attack.
Freshman
Allie Hueston added seven kills and led the Eastern net defense with six blocks. In the back court, junior libero
Stephanie Wallace registered 21 digs, as senior defensive specialist
Kelsey Brooke upped 13 SIUE attacks as well.
Junior setter
Marah Bradbury dished out 40 assists and led all players on the court behind the service line as she fired off four aces. Â Senior serving and defensive specialist
Dakota Springer followed with three unreturnable serves of her own.
The Panthers owned their instate rivals in team attack (.261-to-.217), digs (67-to-62), and blocks (6.5-to-6.0), while both squads finished with nine aces and the host Cougars held the advantage in kills (60-to-51), assists (53-to-49), and points (75.0-to-66.5).
Meeting for the 11th time, the match featured 21 ties and nine lead changes, as Eastern out-hit the Cougars in each set, including a match-best .314 attack in the final frame.
SIUE fell despite having four players finish with double-digit kills, led by freshman Emily Harrison's 15 put-aways and .323 attack. Â Sophomore Taylor Held and newcomer Ashley Witt chipped in respective 14 and 12 kills, while the Panthers held the top hitter in the OVC, junior Kristin Torre, to just 10 kills and a low .125 attack. Â Senior libero Chelsea Colclasure tallied 22 digs while Held finished with three aces.
Panthers will now finish up the regular-season this coming Saturday afternoon, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Tigers of Tennessee State. Â First serve is set for 2 p.m.
Next week's OVC Tournament action will be held at regular-season champ Murray State, as the Racers clinched their first regular-season title this evening with a straight set win over Austin Peay. Â The top eight squads in the final league standings will advance to the three-day event, with the eventual winner to represent the OVC in NCAA Regional play.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
