Eastern Illinois (2-5, 0-0 OVC) vs.Purdue Fort Wayne (3-3, 0-0 HORIZON)
Friday, Sept. 9
Richmond, Ky. | McBrayer Arena
9:00 a.m.
Live Stats
Eastern Illinois vs.Saint Francis (Pa.) (1-6, 0-0 NEC)
Friday, Sept. 9
Richmond, Ky. | McBrayer Arena
2:00 p.m.
Live Stats
Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky (5-1, 0-0 ASUN)
Saturday, Sept. 10
Richmond, Ky. | McBrayer Arena
12:30 p.m.
Live Stats |
Watch
Match Notes
ON-TAP: Eastern Illinois hits the road for the third straight weekend as they head south to Richmond, Ky. to compete in the Geri Polvino Invitational at Eastern Kentucky University. The Panthers will be playing in three matches over two days against Purdue Fort Wayne, Saint Francis (Pa.) and EKU.
Head coach
Sara Thomas and the Panthers will first play on Friday, Sept. 9 at 9 a.m. vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, then later at 2 p.m. against Saint Francis. EIU will wrap up play on Saturday with the tournament host EKU at 12:30 p.m. All times are central standard time.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Panthers are currently leading the all-time series against Purdue Fort Wayne 2-1 with their last meeting coming in 2019 when EIU lost in four sets. EIU is also leading the series against SFU while only meeting once in 2010. Eastern won the lone matchup in three sets in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Eastern Kentucky does hold the advantage over the Panthers 8-15. The two teams last played in 2019 when EKU defeated EIU in three sets. The Panthers are 6-4 in their last ten meetings with the Colonels.
WESTERN ILLINOIS RECAP: EIU dropped their home opener this past Tuesday against in-state rival Western Illinois 3-0. WIU was able to capitalize on service and attack errors by the Panthers to take the win form Eastern in Lantz. Giovana Larrregui Lopez led all hitters with 14 kills on the night for her fifth double digit kills match.
Tori Mohesky was second on the team with 10 kills, which marked her most kills this season. EIU was held to a .152 hitting percentage compared to Western's .262.
Catalina Rochaix also collected 26 assists during the match.
NEW FACES IMPRESS: As mentioned before, Larregui Lopez has impressed this season despite being the first time she has put on an EIU Panther uniform. She has amassed 91 kills through seven matches for an average of 3.50 kills per set. Her 91 total kills is ranked 34th in the NCAA. She is also 36th in the NCAA in attacks per set with 11.09.
Mohesky has also been impressive during her freshman campaign. She has 38 kills this season which is good for third on the team. Mohesky has started three matches this season while middle blocker
Kate Dean has started four. Dean is third on the team in blocks with seven.
OVC LEADERS: Christina Martinez Mundo debuts at the top of the list for Ohio Valley Conference liberos with 130 total digs on the season. Her 5.00 digs per set average is tired for first in the conference with SEMO's Tara Beilsmith. As of Sept. 5, Martinez Mundo was 24th in the NCAA in digs per set.
Larregui Lopez comes in second in the OVC in kills per set with an average of 3.50.
Catalina Rochaix rounds out the group ranking 10th in the OVC in assists per set with 5.16 assists and 130 on the season.
OVC ADDS THREE NEW TEAMS: The Panthers will have new competition this year in the conference as Arkansas Little Rock, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana joined the OVC at the start of the 2022-23 league year. Lindenwood and Southern Indiana make the jump from Division II to Division I while Little Rock joins after playing in the Sun Belt. Belmont, Austin Peay, and Murray State all joined new conferences after the 2021-22 season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Eastern Kentucky has been led by Molly Michalak this season in route to a 5-1 record. She has 67 kills on the season to lead the Colonels and has added 82 digs and three blocks. Sara Mitchell is second on the team in kills with 62.
Purdue Fort Wayne's Sidney Schiller has carried her team to a 3-3 record with 74 kills this season. Rachael Crucis has been the anchor on defense with 103 digs with an average of 4.90 per set. Ramei Jackson and Schiller both have posted 13 blocks this season for the Mastodons.
The Red Flash of Saint Francis are led by Korrin Burns and Maggie Hogan at the net with 72 and 70 kills respectively. Emma Fenton has also posted 192 assists this season to led her team.
NEXT UP: After returning home from their weekend trip to Kentucky, the Panthers will host #25 Illinois in Lantz Arena. This marks only the third time in school history that EIu has hosted a ranked opponent. The match will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7:00 p.m. Livestats and video will be provided.
HEAD COACH: Sara Thomas enters her third season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University. Last season, Thomas took her team to the OVC Tournament for the first time since the 2017 season. EIU finished with a 11-18 record last season with a 4-14 OVC record. Thomas is assisted by
Manolo Concepcion and
Ignacio Valdemoros. The Panthers look to build off their success last season.
