NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (13-12, 7-5 OVC) dropped their first match of a double header against Tennessee State (12-14, 6-7 OVC) by a final score of 1-3. EIU posted post players with at least four kills. The set scores were: 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 16-25.
Kaitlyn Flynn and
Ella Collins were tied for the lead in kills for the panthers with 12 each. Flynn continued her streak of having over 10 kills in a match to 13 straight. She needs three more kills in match two to reach the 300 mark on the season.
Collins posted her most kills in a match since she had 14 against Eastern Kentucky on Set. 10. Giovana Larregui Lopez and
Emily Wilcox each had six kills in match one. EIU had 48 total kills in the match but were held to a .101 hitting percentage compared to the Tigers' 50 kills on a .178 percentage.
Summerlyn Smith and Catalina Rochaix split time as the setter in the 6-2 rotation the Panthers offense runs. Smith lead the team with 19 assists while Rochaix added 17. EIU combined for 45 assists out of 48 kills. Rochaix also added 11 digs.
Christina Martinez Mundo had a team high 16 digs in the four set loss. EIU total 51 digs while TSU had 56. Both EIU and TSU were the top two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference in digs coming into the weekend.
Both teams were active at the net on defense with EIU recording nine blocks. Kate Dean stepped up leading the way with six total blocks (one block solo, five block assists). Flynn and Lilli Amettis also had one block solo each while
Annika Black had three block assists. TSU had 16 blocks.
The Tigers were led by OVC total kills leader Johanna Alcantara with a match high 26 kills will hitting for a .333 hitting percentage. Gabrielle Johnson also had eight total blocks including five block solos. Gina Rivera-Ortiz also had 23 digs to lead the Tiger defense.
MATCH 2 | EIU 3 TSU 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois (14-12, 8-5 OVC) won the second match in the double header against Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee State (12-15, 6-8 OVC) by a final score of 3-1. Two Panthers post over 20 kills in match two. The set scores 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 28-26.
Two Panthers led EIU on offense with over 20 kills each.
Kaitlyn Flynn led the match in kills with 25 kills, her third most this season. Giovana Larregui Lopez was second on the team with a total of 22 kills.Â
The EIU duo of Flynn and Larregui Lopez combined for 47 of Eastern's 64 kills. The Tigers were held to 49 kills in match two.
Annika Black also helped EIU on offense at the opposite hitter position with five kills. Eastern had a .198 hitting percentage.
Catalina Rochaix led all setters with a total of 38 assists, her most assists since Oct. 14 against UT Martin.
Summerlyn Smith also helped the offense with 16 assists of her own. Both setters also contributed on the defensive side of the ball with nine and six digs respectively.
Service aces helped EIU gain points in the four set win on Saturday evening. Flynn added two aces to her total while three other Panthers added one. EIU is fourth in the conference in service aces this season.
Defense was also key for the Panthers to contain the Tigers offense in match two.
Ireland Hieb led the defense with four total blocks in the match, she also had four kills in the win. Black and Flynn also had three block assists while Kate Dean added two block assists.
Christina Martinez Mundo chipped in 15 digs in the match to lead EIU. Larregui Lopez also added 10 digs for the Panthers with Flynn contributed six digs. Eastern had 14 total blocks and 52 total digs to pave the way to victory.
The Tigers were led be Johanna Alcantara with a team high 20 kills in the four set loss. Kennedy Davis added 10 kills and four block assists in the match. Sofia Garcia-Guerrios collected 28 assists for the Tigers of TSU. Gabrielle Johnson was active at the net with three block solos and two block assists. TSU drops to 6-8 in OVC play.
EIU will be back next weekend at home in Lantz Arena against Tennessee Tech for senior night against the Golden Eagles. Senior night will take place on Saturday night starting at 4 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
