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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois volleyball team (27-4, 15-3 OVC) advanced to the OVC Tournament Finals with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 26-24) sweep of Southern Indiana (15-16, 10-8 OVC) on Tuesday afternoon in Groniger Arena. It will be the Panthers' first time in the championship match since the 2004 season.

EIU won the first set behind a shared offensive effort, with Catalina Rochaix spreading out 16 assists to five different attackers. Kate Dean led the way with five kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Following were Giovana Larregui López and Kaitlyn Flynn with four kills, and Natalie Mitchem with three.

Eastern kept things rolling in the second set, and besides a very early 0-1 deficit, led for the entire frame, using a 12-2 run to put the Screaming Eagles away early. Defense was the name of the game, as the Panthers held USI to a negative attack percentage and combined for 5.0 team blocks in the set.

The third set was a battle, as EIU had to overcome a USI team fighting to keep their season alive. Things were tied up at 24 late, but Giovana Larregui López and Natalie Mitchem came through with back-to-back kills to seal the deal and punch the Panthers' ticket to the title match. Both players had their biggest sets of the day, with Larregui López tallying seven kills and Mitchem smashing five of her own.

Giovana Larregui López picked up another double-double with 14 digs (14.67 DPS) to go along with a match-leading 12 kills (4.0 KPS) on the afternoon. She also added a pair of service aces to her performance.

Kate Dean also had a big day for the Panthers, as she recorded 10 kills and five blocks (1.67 BPS).

Other key offensive contributors were Kaitlyn Flynn with 10 kills and two blocks, and Natalie Mitchem with nine kills and four blocks.

Catalina Rochaix matched her quarterfinal performance with another 40 assist outing (13.33 APS).

Christina Martinez Mundo again led the defense with a match-high 17 (5.67 DPS), while Emily Wilcox recorded three blocks, making it her third consecutive match with at least three rejections.

The OVC Tournament Final is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with Eastern set to square off with SEMO.