CHAMPAIGN, Ill, - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team defeated Illinois three sets to one in an exhibition match on Wednesday evening in Huff Hall. The final scores of each set were as follows: 19-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-23.
After dropping the first set, the Panthers took the next three, beginning with a 6-1 run to end set two that secured that set. In the third set, EIU overcame two Fighting Illini set point chances to take a 2-1 match lead before completing another comeback win in set three to close out the match.
The Panthers were led offensively by the all-conference duo of
Kaitlyn Flynn and
Giovana Larregui Lopez, who record 13 kills each, with Flynn finishing with a .360 hitting percentage. Setter
Catalina Rochaix did a great job of distributing the ball, tallying a team high 26 assists in three sets of action.
Defensively,
Christina Martinez Mundo led all players with 16 digs, followed by Rochaix who finished the match with 14 digs of her own. The Panthers recorded seven total blocks, led by newcomer
Julia Stanev who had three on the evening.
Illinois was led by Brooke Mosher and Raina Terry. Mosher recorded a game-high 27 assists, while Terry compiled 13 kills for the Illini.
The Panthers will open the regular season a week from Friday when they host the EIU Panther Invitational presented by Unique Suites. EIU's first match is set for 1 p.m. against Louisiana Monroe.
