EIU lost its first home match on homecoming weekend as the Eagles of Morehead State defeated the Panthers in three sets. Eastern Illinois (7-13, 0-10 OVC) lost 11-25, 13-25, 28-30 in three sets Friday afternoon. The Panthers are still winless in the Ohio Valley Conference as they have lost 12 matches in a row. Morehead State (12-9, 8-2 OVC) have now won eight conference matches in a row this year after dropping their first two.
Morehead State jumped out to an early lead in the first set and never looked back as the Panthers lost 11-25. The Eagles had an impressive first set as they hit .444 percent as a team.
Ireland Hieb and
Kameryn Sillmon both had two kills in the first while
Summerlyn Smith posted five assists.Olivia Lohmeier led the way for the Eagles in the first with five kills, and Bridget Bessler had 11 assists to lead MSU to a first set victory.
The Panthers fell behind early in the second set as well, as they were defeated 25-13 in that set. Morehead State posted a .250 hitting percentage as EIU posted a negative hitting percentage with a -.107.
TaKenya Stafford and
Kylie Michael posted two kills a piece in the second while Smith posted three assists and three digs. Maycle Welborn had three kills for the Eagles and Olivia Montelisciani had six digs. McKenzee Wagener also posted two block assists for MSU.
The third set saw a high scoring affair with both teams eclipsing 28 points, but Morehead State pulled away late to win the last set 30-28. EIU had their best performance of the day with Sillmon and Michael leading the way in the third. Both players had five kills while Sillmon posted two blocks and Michael had one. The Panthers had a .204 hitting percentage, their highest of the afternoon, but Morehead State posted a .228 to close out the match. The Eagle saw Lohmeier take over with nine kills while Abby Hulsman also posted four kills as of her own.
Morehead State was led by Lohmeier with 15 kills, Bessler with 37 assists, and Welborn and Hulsman with nine kills each. The Eagles move up to 8-2 in the conference and improve their overall record to 12-9.
EIU was led by Sillmon with seven kills and four block assists, Michael with seven kills and two block assists, Elisave Papageorgiou with four block assists and five digs, and Smith with 18 assists to finish the night. The Panthers drop to 7-13 on the season and 0-10 in the conference.
Homecoming weekend will continue tomorrow afternoon as the Panthers and Eagles play their second match of the weekend at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23. LiveStats will be made available to view.
