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Charleston, Ill.- The Eastern Illinois volleyball team wrapped up their weekend against OVC opponent UT Martin Saturday afternoon. The Skyhawks defeated the Panthers 3-1.

With the loss, EIU drops to 6-13 (1-3 OVC).

The EIU volleyball team honored their 1998 OVC Championship team Saturday afternoon. The 1998 team honored Abby Knight with a $1,000 scholarship prior to the match. The 1998 volleyball team was the first EIU team sport to win an Ohio Valley Conference championship.



The first set featured back-and-forth play between the two teams. EIU and UT Martin combined for a match-high 18 ties and 12 lead changes throughout the first set. The Skyhawks were able to rally late to steal the first set from the Panthers 26-24. Jamie Rys led the Skyhawks offense with seven kills in the set.

UT Martin would come out aggressive in the second set. The Skyhawks were able string together a couple of runs early to snatch the lead from the Panthers. UT Martin hit for their highest hitting percentage of the match hitting 84%. The Skyhawks jumped out to a 6-0 run late to secure the match ignited by a Jessica Reynolds kill.

The Panthers would battle back in the third set forcing a fourth set. EIU hit for their best hitting percentage of the match in the third set totaling 56%. The two teams exchanged leads for a total four times throughout the set.
The Panthers were able to spoil the UT Martin sweep with a 5-0 run to secure the set. Kylie Michael led the Panthers offense with three kills in the set.

UT Martin was able to bounce back after the third set to secure the match from the Panthers. Similar to the first set the fourth set featured balanced play with both team tying the score 15 times and exchanging leads 10 times. Megan Fair led the Skyhawks offense with five kills in the set.

Maggie Runge finished with a team-high nine kills and four blocks. Laurel Bailey led the Panthers defense with a team-high 20 digs and nine digs.

The Panthers will travel to Clarksville, Tennessee to battle OVC opponent Austin Peay Friday October 5 at 7 p.m.