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Photo Gallery By Sandy King

Eastern Illinois closed out its season opener tournament Saturday falling to Memphis and Drake.
 
Memphis 3 – EIU 0
 
The Panthers dropped their first match of the day to Memphis 3-0, (25-16, 25-18, 25-21).
 
In the first set Memphis got off to a quick start and jumped out to a 6-3 lead. EIU fought back to within one but the Panthers never found their footing dropping the first set by nine.
 
Both teams traded punches until Memphis took over with a 4-0 run to put them ahead 22-17. In the second set Memphis went on to win set two.
 
In the third set the Panthers went on a 7-0 run to come within four of the Tigers but could never find the rhythm they were looking for. The Panthers were led by Maggie Runge with 10 kills and three blocks and Bailey Chandler led the team in assists with 21.
 
For the Tigers Meredith Wallace led the team in kills with 14 and Sabrina Bianco led the team with 37 assists.
 
Drake 3 – EIU 1
 
In the final match of the tournament Drake defeated the Panthers in four sets, (19-25, 25-17,25-22, 27-25)
 
In the first set the Panthers got off to a slow start falling behind 3-0. They came back to tie the set 8-8 on a 4-0 run led by Katie Sommer. EIU clawed their way to a first set win with the help of six blocks, led by Hannah Sieg.
 
In the second set it was back and forth until 10-10 when Drake went on a 5-0 run and pulled to a six point lead. After that the Panthers never could get into a rhythm and dropped that set 25-17.
 
In the third set EIU and Drake were trading punches until 15-15 when the Panthers take a two point lead after two consecutive blocks. Drake rallied back with a 4-0 run to take set three by three points.
 
In the final set the Panthers get off to a 6-5 lead after a triple block. EIU went on a 4-0 run to take to a four point lead. Drake came right back with their own run to pull it back to a one point game. Kiley Michael has a nice kill to tie the game up at 24-24. Drake ended up taking the last set by two points due to errors by the Panthers.
 
The Panthers were led by Ireland Hieb with 17 kills and Maggie Runge led the team in blocks with six. Drake was led by Haley Bush with 26 kills and Elle Tubbs with five blocks. Paige Aspinwall led the team in assists with 27.
 
South Dakota State 1 – Drake 3
 
Drake won 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-22, 25-21)
 
In the fifth match of the tournament Drake defeated SDSU 3-1. Drake was led by Emily Plock with 21 kills and Elle Tubbs with seven blocks. South Dakota State was led by Makenzie Hennen with 19 kills and one block. Madison Fay led the team in assists with 31.
 
Standings
1 – Memphis (3-0)
2 – Drake (2-1)
3 – South Dakota State (1-2)
4 – Eastern Illinois (0-3)

All-Tournament Team
Sabrina Bianco, Memphis – MVP
Hannah Flowers, Memphis
Meredith Wallace, Memphis
Haley Bush, Drake
Emily Plock, Drake
Crystal Burk, South Dakota State
Maggie Runge, Eastern Illinois