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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois volleyball team defeated Little Rock 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-22) on Monday afternoon in Groniger Arena. With the win, the Panthers advance to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2017, where they will face the fifth seed Southern Indiana.

EIU led for the entirety of the first set, as they used a couple of 4-0 scoring runs to extend their lead to a comfortable margin. OVC Player of the Year Giovana Larregui López had a huge set with eight kills on a .500 hitting percentage, as Setter of the Year Catalina Rochaix handed out 15 assists and helped the Panthers to a .483 team attack percentage.

Set two was tight early on, but a 15-2 Eastern run helped the Panthers blow things wide open on their way dominant 12-point win. That run featured six kills from Emily Wilcox, who led EIU with eight in the set. Natalie Mitchem also had a strong set with five kills in the frame. The Panthers had four service aces in the set, with Laura Paniagua and Giovana Larregui López recording a pair each.

Little Rock regrouped for set three and led by as many as five points mid-way through the set, but after going down 15-10, EIU outscored the Trojans 15-7 the rest of the way to secure the quarterfinal victory. The Panthers comeback was sparked and finished off by Natalie Mitchem, who had a set-leading six kills. She was followed by Larregui López with five kills and Kaitlyn Flynn with four terminations.

EIU's leading scorer was Giovana Larregui López with 14 kills (4.67 KPS), two service aces, and a block. She also recorded 10 digs for her 15th double-double of the season.

Larregui López was followed by Natalie Mitchem with 13 kills (4.33 KPS) on a red hot .550 attack percentage and a block.

Emily Wilcox got her second straight start and made the most of it with 10 kills (3.33 KPS), a service ace, and a match-leading four blocks.

Kaitlyn Flynn matched Wilcox with four blocks of her own while also adding nine kills (3.0 KPS).

Catalina Rochaix completed the afternoon with 40 assists, making it her 15th match in the season with at least 40 helpers. 

Meanwhile, Christina Martinez Mundo led with Panthers on defense with 21 digs (7.0 DPS), which tied her second-highest total in a three set match this season.

The Panthers will now move on to the semifinals where they will face off with Southern Indiana. EIU won both meetings with the Screaming Eagles during the regular season. Tuesday's match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.