DAYTON, OHIO- The Eastern Illinois University volleyball team looked to bounce back after dropping their opening match at the Dayton Invitational to Cleveland State the night before, but dropped a pair of games in the final day of the tournament to host Dayton 3-1 (20-25,16-25,26-24,19-25), and Baylor 3-1 (24-26,25-18,19-25,13-25).
 
Dayton 3, EIU 1
 
The Panthers knew that they were going to be tested playing on the road in front of the Dayton home crowd, but the Flyers took command from the first set, and won the four set match 3-1 over the Panthers.
 
In the first set, the Panthers were able to battle with the Flyers as the two teams alternated leads with the final tie occurring after a Taylor Smith kill put the game at 20-20. Dayton would then earn the next five points in the game, and would win set one 25-20.
 
The Panthers struggled to get anything going in the second set, and the Flyers took full advantage as they raced out to a commanding 8-2 lead. A kill from Josie Winner brought EIU back to within two, but the Flyers would again find their rhythm and earned the second set victory 25-16.
 
Heading into the third set, EIU were determined to not drop the game in straight sets. Both teams saw their lead increase to as many as four points, but those leads would quickly change. With the Panthers ahead by a point, Maria Brown sealed up the set with a kill of her own to give the Panthers a 26-24 decision in game three.
 
Abby Saalfrank put EIU ahead by a point early in the fourth set, but the Flyers attack would get the best of the Panthers despite a late comeback, as Dayton would win the fourth set by a score of 25-19, and the match 3-1.
 
Smith nabbed her first triple-double of her career as she finished the match with 11 kills, 14 assists, and 15 digs.
 
Baylor 3, EIU 1
 
EIU battled Baylor throughout their four set match in the Panthers final game at the Dayton Invitational, but the Bears came out on top with a 3-1 victory.
 
In the first set, the Panthers were able to work their way back into the game as a kill from Kayla Nesbitt tied the score at 10-10. EIU would tie the score again late following a Baylor attacking error, but the Bears would take the tight first set 26-24.
 
The phrase score early, and score often was the tale of the second set for EIU as the Panthers jumped out to a commanding 10-4 lead due to another Brown put-down, and would not let up from there, earning the second set 25-18.
 
The third set appeared to be a big momentum changer for the match between the two teams. Baylor would see a commanding 16-8 lead, but one final rally by the Panthers and another Saalfrank kill closed the lead to three. A string of miscues by EIU gave Baylor set three 25-19.
 
The fourth set belonged to the Baylor Bears as the EIU Panthers would struggle the entire set and would drop the four game 25-13 and the match 3-1. 

Saalfrank, who picked up her first All-Tournament Team honor of the season, and fourth all-time, finished with 10 kills, while Stephanie Wallace contributed 16 digs to lead the Panthers.
 
The Panthers will hit the court again next weekend at the Oakland Golden Grizzly Invitational, in Rochester, Michigan. The two-day event will take place on Friday, Sept. 18, and finish on Saturday, Sept. 19. EIU is slated to face Ohio State, host Oakland, Dartmouth, and Western Michigan during tournament play.

Dayton Invitational Final Standings
1 - Dayton -- 2-1 (8-4/.667*)
2 - Baylor -- 2-1 (7-6/.538*)
3 - Cleveland State -- 2-1 (6-6/.500*)
4 - Eastern Illinois -- 0-3
* - tie-breaker based on winning % of all sets played
 
Dayton Invite All-Tournament Team
Jenna Jendryk (MVP) … Dayton
Angel Agu … Dayton
Shelly Fanning … Baylor
Katie Staiger … Baylor
Christine Toth ... CSU
Abby Saalfrank … EIU