| EASTERN ILLINOIS hosts SIU EDWARDSVILLE & BELMONT |
| Week Details | vs. SIUE | 6 p.m. | Wed., Oct. 1, 2014 | Lantz Arena | Charleston, Ill. |
| vs. BEL | 2 p.m. | Sat., Oct. 4, 2014 | Lantz Arena | Charleston, Ill. |
| Match Coverage | Twitter | Facebook | Live Stats | Live Video |
| EIU Panther info | Website | 6-9 Overall | 0-2 OVC |
| SIUE info | Website | 8-9 Overall | 0-2 OVC | Match Program (PDF) |
| BEL info | Website | 5-10 Overall | 1-1 OVC | Match Program (PDF) |
Pre-Week Notes (PDF)
CHARLESTON, Ill. -- More than halfway through the season and Eastern Illinois volleyball finally begins the home portion of the slate this week, as the Panthers are set to host instate rival SIU Edwardsville at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (Oct. 1) and Belmont at 2 p.m. the following Saturday (Oct. 4) in Ohio Valley Conference action.
Panthers enter the week at 6-9 overall and a 0-2 to begin league play as EIU dropped a four-set match at Tennessee Tech prior to losing a five-set marathon at Jacksonville State.
There's free admission for all action at the friendly confines of Lantz Arena, where the Panthers finished with a perfect 8-0 mark in 2013. In fact EIU was the lone squad in the OVC to finish undefeated at home last fall.
Live stats and online streaming of both matches are available via links above.
PANTHER QUICK SETS
• For the seventh time since joining the OVC ranks in 1996, the Panthers begin early-league play at 0-2.
• Following the Panthers' tough four-set loss at TTU, Eastern is now 6-13 all-time in league-openers as EIU has now dropped their last nine matches to begin conference play.
• Team-wise, the Panthers continue to lead the opposition in kills, assists and aces, while trailing in attack, digs, blocks, and total points.
• Individually, five different EIU players rank in the statistical OVC Top 10, as Saalfrank ranks third and fourth in kills and points, respectively. Bradbury is second for assists and sixth in OVC-only action while also tying for ninth for aces in league play.
• Newcomer Allie Hueston joins the OVC Top 10 this week as she tied for the top ace tally with a 0.44 ace-per-set mark in league-only action. She's also tied for fifth in blocks-per-set as well. Juniors Chelsea Lee and Stephanie Wallace follow with Top 10 ranks for kills, points and digs, respectively.
OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS
• Over the course of the season, both Lee and Saalfrank have paced the Panthers seven times in kills, while Saalfrank also has led the way for points in a match seven times as well.
• Bradbury has naturally led the Panthers in assists in all 15 non-OVC contests, which includes a season-high 63 last weekend at JSU. She also helped lead the EIU offense to a season-best .296 attack during Eastern's road win at Ball State earlier this year.
• Lee, meanwhile, recently drilled a personal best 28 kills and secured 29.5 points in the Panthers' five-set win over DePaul at the PSU Classic.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TOIL & TROUBLE
• Thus far this year, Saalfrank has notched eight kill-dig duo-duo performances, which ups her career tally to nine all-time.
• Bradbury, meanwhile, now has 26 assist-dig double-doubles of her own all-time, including four this year. She finished with 63 assists and 10 ups in EIU's tough five set loss at JSU last weekend.
DEFENSIVE ACCOLADES
• Wallace paces all Panthers with 284 digs this season, which includes a new career-high 31 ups during EIU's win over DePaul two weekends ago. That performance helped her earn a spot on the Panthers' career 1,000-Dig club.
• At the net, Hueston leads the way with 45 total blocks, including 37 assisted and eight solo stuffs. Lee and Saalfrank follow with 28 and 27 roofs of their own.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS OF SIUE
• Under the direction of fourth year skipper Leah Johnson, SIUE enters the match at 8-9 overall and 0-2 in league play.
• As EIU's travel partner, the Cougars also played at both JSU and TTU last weekend. SIUE dropped both matchups in five set affairs, winning just first and fourth frames in both contests.
• Kristen Torre leads her squad with 219 kills (3.27 kps) off a .377 attack, while also making her presence known at the net with 50 stuffs and a 270.5 point tally. She's also second on the squad in aces with 20.
• Ashley Witt follows with 182 kills (2.72 kps) and owns a tough service game behind a 22 ace tally.
• Sophomore Mallory Mangun, who picked up OVC 'Freshman of the Year' honors last fall, is hitting .306 on the season and owns 24 blocks as the setter has dished out 571 assists.
• Senior libero Chelsea Colclasure has already set the SIUE career record for digs earlier this season and ranks No. 4 in the nation in career digs among active players with 2,103 all-time ups. She has 270 digs thus far this campaign.
• Team-wise, SIUE tie their opponents in kills, but trail in attack, assists, and digs. The Cougars do own the advantage for aces, blocks and tota points, however.
• The Panthers currently enjoy a sizeable 5-4 lead in the all-time DI series history. EIU currently owns a three-match win streak over the Cougars.
QUICK LOOK AT THE BRUINS
• Prior to visiting Tennessee State on Tuesday, Belmont sat at 5-10 overall and an even 1-1 in early league play.
• Last weekend the Bruins dropped a five set home match to EKU before earning a sweep of perennial power and preseason favorite Morehead State.
• Belmont is by Arianna Person offensively with 157 kills (2.96/set) and ranks second with 154 digs (2.91/set). The rookie recently had a career-high 21 kills in addition to 14 digs against EKU.
• Setter Emma Price continues to lead the team with 496 assists (9.36/set).
• Defensively, libero Ellie Ivancich paces the backrow as the rookie leads the squad with 197 digs (3.46/set), while senior Alex Martin paces the Bruins at the net with 50 blocks.
• In team numbers, Belmont trails their opponents in nearly every stat category, but do hold the lead for aces this year.
• Since joining the OVC back in 2012, the Bruins have won all three previous matchups between EIU and Belmont, including a tough five-set affair in Charleston that first season, as well as taking a four-frame match the next time around in the OVC tourney that same year. Last fall, EIU also fell in four sets down in Nashville.
• Belmont is under the first year direction of former assistant Tony Howell.
HOMESTAND CONTINUES
• Following the home openers versus SIUE and Belmont, the Panthers continue the current four-match homestand as EIU is set to entertain Murray State and Austin Peay over the weekend of Oct. 10 and 11.
• Eastern will then hit the road for four straight before hosting SEMO, UTM, EKU and MOR in the final four home contests on the 2014 regular-season slate at the end of October and the beginning of November.
EYE ON THE REST OF THE OVC
• As of today, the Murray State Racers pace the OVC with an 11-3 overall mark and 2-0 start to the conference, as the Racers began the year at 9-0.
• Eastern Kentucky follows at 12-6 and join Jacksonville State with a perfect 2-0 OVC start, with the Gamecocks at an even 8-8 overall.
• While also 2-0 in the league, Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech also currently sport losing overall records.
• The big surprise of the 2014 campaign has to be the 0-15 record of the league-favorite Eagles of Morehead State. The four-time defending conference champs are currently off to their worst season start in school history. They lost a five-set match at TSU last Friday before also being swept by Belmont on the road on Saturday.
... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID
