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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - In their first NCAA Tournament match since 2001, the Eastern Illinois volleyball team (28-5, 15-3 OVC) fell to Marquette (21-10, 16-2 Big East) by a score of 3-0, bringing an end to the Panthers' historic run. The final set scores of Wednesday's match were 19-25, 16-25, and 14-25.

In the opening set, Kaitlyn Flynn had the hot hand to start as she recorded three kills in the early going. However, Marquette also came out of the gate strong and worked their way to a sizable 19-11 lead. The Panthers made a late push with an 8-3 scoring run, which was sparked by back-to-back Catalina Rochaix kills, but the deficit ultimately proved too much to overcome, as the Panthers fell behind 1-0. Giovana Larregui López led the Panthers with four kills in the set as Rochaix handed out 11 assists.

Things did not get any easier in the second set, as the Golden Eagles sprinted out to another early lead and led by as many as nine in the frame. A 3-0 spurt that included kills from Larregui López and Flynn breathed some life into the Panthers late, but Marquette was able to finish strong and take a 2-0 lead. Larregui López again led EIU with four kills in the set.

Marquette rode their momentum to another fast start in set three, going up 8-3 early. However, the Panthers refused to go down without a fight, and clawed their way back to within two points. Unfortunately, Eastern was unable to get over the hump, as the Golden Eagles extended their lead through the second half of the set and ultimately closed out the match.

Giovana Larregui López led the Panthers in kills with 10. She also tallied seven digs.

Offensively, Larregui López was followed by Kaitlyn Flynn with seven kills and Natalie Mitchem with five kills.

Catalina Rochaix distributed a match leading 25 assists (8.33 APS), while also adding a service ace and two blocks, including one solo.

Christina Martinez Mundo tallied 17 digs, which was the match high. She also had three assists.

The Panthers' season comes to a close, but what they were able to accomplish this season will not soon be forgotten.

The season kicked off with a 3-1 defeat of Illinois in a preseason exhibition match, which proved to be a sign of the things to come.

Eastern got out to a school-record 10-0 start that included three tournament championships and a win over the SEC's Missouri Tigers, who were later selected to the NCAA Tournament as an eight seed.

The Panthers would go on to put together a mostly dominant OVC run, which culminated in the program's first outright regular season OVC title since 1998.

As champs, EIU got to host the conference tournament, where they swept away Little Rock, Southern Indiana, and Southeast Missouri State on their way to claiming another championship and the NCAA Tournament auto-bid, the program's first in over two decades.

Multiple Panthers earned OVC weekly honors throughout the season, and four Panthers were named the All-OVC First-Team, including Giovana Larregui López, Christina Martinez Mundo, Natalie Mitchem, and Catalina Rochaix.

In addition, Larregui López was named the conference's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Rochaix took home Setter of the Year honors.

Despite the NCAA Tournament loss, it was a season to remember for EIU volleyball.