CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois volleyball team completed a clean sweep of Morehead State on Friday with another 3-0 win. After briefly falling behind 3-2 in set one, the Panthers never allowed the Eagles to regain the lead for the remainder of match. EIU is now 6-0 in the Ohio Valley conference with a 16-1 overall record. The set scores of Friday's match were as follows: 25-17, 25-13, and 25-20.
Eastern used a pair of 9-0 runs in the opening set to overpower Morehead and take a 1-0 lead.
Natalie Mitchem led all scorers with 5.0 points on four kills and a pair of block assists in the set.
Julia Stanev also had a big set, recording three block assists and showing off her offensive ability with a run of three consecutive kills.
In the second set, the Panthers pounced on the Eagles early, getting out to a 5-0 lead and never allowing MSU to get closer than an arm's length, ultimately building their way to a 12-point margin of victory.
Kate Dean led the EIU offense with four kills, a service ace, and a block, while
Catalina Rochaix distributed 13 assists.
The third set was much tighter, with Morehead State threatening to take the lead on multiple occasions. However, the Panthers were able to hold off the Eagles and eventually pulled away to take the set and complete the two-match sweep.
Natalie Mitchem and
Kaitlyn Flynn each had five kills in the set to lead the team. They also recorded two blocks each in the set.
Mitchem ended the contest as the Panthers' leading scorer with a total of 11 kills on an outstanding .579 hitting percentage, along with four blocks.
She was followed by Larregui Lopez with nine kills on an even higher .600 hitting percentage. The senior also added a service ace, one block, and 10 digs to her stat line.
Kaitlyn Flynn and
Kate Dean both recorded eight kills on the afternoon. Dean also had a service ace and two blocks, while Flynn had three blocks.
Catalina Rochaix helped the EIU offense to a .382 hitting percentage as she handed out 37 assists for an average of 12.33 assists per set. She also recorded three service aces and a block.
Christina Martinez Mundo led the match with 12 digs while also collecting three service aces. Meanwhile,
Laura Paniagua had nine digs and a service ace.
Masyn Navarro also got in on the action with an ace to bring the Panthers' team total to 10 (3.33 SAPS).
EIU also had 9.0 total team blocks. They were led by
Julia Stanev, who matched her season-high seven blocks in the match. The freshman middle blocker also made the most of her offensive opportunities with a five kills on a .714 hitting percentage.Â
Eastern Illinois will continue their conference slate next weekend when they welcome the Lions of Lindenwood to Lantz Arena for a pair of matches. The first is scheduled for Friday, October 13
th at 6 p.m., and the second is set for Saturday, October 14
th at 4 p.m.
