• The Panthers squared off against their in-state rival Western Illinois in non-conference action on Tuesday night.

• The rivalry lived up to expectations as WIU picked up a first set win, but EIU rallied back winning the next three sets to take the match 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-16).

• Eastern Illinois will switch gears and return back to Lantz Arena this weekend as the Panthers host the EIU Panther Classic.

• The EIU Panther Classic marks the first time the Eastern Illinois volleyball program has hosted a regular season tournament since the 2008 season.

• Live stats will be available for each match can be found on eiupanthers.com with live video also be available on the OVC Digital Network.
 
2016 EIU Panther Classic
... all times central
 
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
    Bowling Green vs. Louisiana Tech ... 4 p.m.
EIU vs. Drake ... 7 p.m.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10
    Drake vs. Louisiana Tech ... 10:30 a.m.
EIU vs. Bowling Green ... 1 p.m.
    Drake vs. Bowling Green ... 4 p.m.
EIU vs. Louisiana Tech ... 1 p.m.
.............................................................................

SMITH AND BROWN ON THE DOUBLE
• Taylor Smith recorded her second-straight triple-double in as many matches and her third on the season against Western Illinois on Tuesday night.  Smith led the team with 11 kills and 19 digs and added 15 assists to complete her triple-double. Her total of three triple-doubles are the top mark in NCAA Division I this season.

• Maria Brown posted her second-straight double-double against Western Illinois on Tuesday night.  Brown has recorded three double-doubles on the season.  She finished the match at Western Illinois with 10 kills and 14 digs.

DIGGING UP THE COMPETITION
• In Tuesday's match against Western Illinois, the Panthers had five player record double-digit dig marks.

• Lindsey Powers dug up 16 Western Illinois attacks, with Josie Winner adding 15, Hayley Richardson with 11, and Smith and Brown with 19 and 14 respectively. 

BLOCKING OUT THE OPPOSITION
• Freshman middle-hitter, Maggie Runge built upon her OVC leading block total by adding eight in the match on Tuesday night against Western Illinois.  Against Western Illinois, Runge totaled one solo block and seven assisted blocks.

• Runge has accumulated 40 blocks so far in the season. The next best mark in the OVC is 35 by Jemima Idemudia of UT Martin.

• Runge is tied for seventh in NCAA Division I in total blocks and is just eight blocks shy of leading the nation.

• Her average of 1.43 blocks-per-set ranks her 36th in the country.

QUOTING COACH WOLINSKI
Coach Wolinski on the upcoming EIU Panther Classic -- "We are excited to be hosting our first tournament in quite some time.  I feel our confidence is growing after winning our last two matches.  It should be a great weekend for volleyball here at EIU." 

SCOUTING THE PANTHER CLASSIC
• The Panthers host a tournament inside Lantz Arena for the first time since the 2008 season.  EIU will welcome Bowling Green, Drake, and Louisiana Tech for the EIU Panther Classic this weekend.

• Eastern Illinois will open tournament play on Friday night against Drake. Drake enters the weekend at 6-2 overall on the season.  EIU leads the all-time head-to-head series against Drake at 9-6.

• Kyla Inderski is the player to watch for Drake on the offensive side of the court. She leads the team with 124 total kills and a 3.88 kill-per-set average. No other player on the Drake roster has more than 75 kills on the season entering this weekend. 

• Michelle Thommi will look to control the Panther offense as she is Drake's team leader in digs. Thommi has 165 digs on the season and averages 5.16 digs-per-set. 

• EIU will begin the second day of the tournament facing Bowling Green. BGSU holds a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series against the Panthers.  BGSU enters with an even 3-3 record on the season.

• Alyssa Maloney and Isabel Kovacic are the go-to players for BGSU as the pair lead the team in kills with 64 and 62 respectively. Maloney is hitting at a .387 percentage this season.

• Madeline Garda is the leader on the defensive end for BGSU. She has recorded a team-high 97 digs this season and averages 4.85 digs-per-set.

• The Panthers will look to avenge an early season loss against Louisiana Tech as the two teams square off in a rematch in the final game of the tournament. LA Tech won the only previous meeting between the two teams last week at the Tiger Invitational 3-1. LA Tech is 4-3 on the season overall.

• Angela Papach is the team leader in kills for LA Tech. Papach has totaled 88 kills on the season and averages 3.14 kills-per-set.

• Alejandra Aviles will look to slow down the EIU offense once more this weekend.  Aviles finished with 21 digs in the previous meeting and has 115 digs on the season. She averages 4.42 digs-per-set.


UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS
• Following the EIU Panther Classic, Eastern Illinois will travel to the Mississippi State Tournament on Sept. 16-17. The Panthers are slated to face Florida International, Troy, and Mississippi State in the two-day tournament.