Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. – Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois volleyball renewed their rivalry as the two teams matched up in a non-conference game on Tuesday night. The rivalry lived up to expectations. The Panthers rallied back after dropping the first set and used a complete team effort to take the final three sets to secure a 3-1 victory by scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, and 25-16.  Eastern Illinois will return to action this weekend as they host the EIU Panther Classic in Lantz Arena.

With the win, Eastern Illinois improved to 2-6 on the season.

Neither team gave way in the first set as the score would be tied on nine different occasions. Taylor Smith and Maggie Runge paired up on a block to put EIU on the board first, but then the back-and-forth action would begin. After WIU took advantage of an EIU error to tie the score at 8-8, Western would go on a little run to take an 11-8 lead. The Panthers would work their way back into the set as Katie Sommer would tie the score at 18-18 on a kill. The two teams would trade leads, but once again the score would be tied, this time at 22-22 on a Runge kill. Western Illinois would score the final three points of the set to take a 1-0 lead after winning the first game 25-22.

The Panthers leveled the score at 1-1 after taking the second set 25-21. Much like the first set, the second set went back-and-forth between the two teams. With the score tied at 5-5, EIU began to take a small lead on WIU. With the help of a WIU error and an Abby Knight kill, Eastern Illinois took a 7-5 advantage. The Panthers would keep their lead until Western Illinois tied the score at 11-11. Western Illinois would score the next two points to take a 13-11 lead. The two teams kept the score close as it eventually became tied at 18-18. The Panthers scored on the next play on a Runge kill, and appeared to take control of the set. Josie Winner would give the Panthers a four-point lead at 24-20 on a kill as a kill by Knight would be the deciding point in the set to tie the match.

The Panthers came out slow to begin the third set as Western Illinois raced out to a 5-1 lead. The Panthers managed to tie the score at 6-6, but WIU would once again go on a run and found themselves ahead 10-6. The Western Illinois lead grew to as many as six points at 19-13, but the Panthers would not go away quietly. A kill by Brown would tie the score at 23-23 and Smith later followed with a kill of her own to give the Panthers a 25-23 comeback win in the third set.

It was all Eastern Illinois for much of the fourth set as the Panthers started out on an 8-0 run capped off by a Western Illinois error. Despite Western Illinois breaking the streak, the Panthers would not break stride as the lead grew to 13-1. Western Illinois cut the Eastern Illinois lead to six points at 21-15, but the Panthers were too much for WIU in the fourth set as a Knight and Sommer block ended the set at 25-16 in favor of EIU.

Smith finished with her third triple-double of the season, totaling 11 kills, 15 assists, and 19 digs. Brown posted another double-double to her season resume as she finished with 10 kills and 14 digs. Lindsey Powers and Winner chipped in with 16 and 15 digs respectively. Runge finished the match with seven total blocks.

Coach Wolinski was pleased with the team effort by the Panthers saying, "This was a great win on the road against in-state rival Western Illinois."