Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois Volleyball team closed out the 2023 EIU Panther Classic with a 3-1 win over Akron on Saturday afternoon. The victory improved the Panthers' record to 3-0 after the first weekend of regular season play. The final set scores were as follows: 27-25, 25-8, 22-25, and 25-12.
EIU won the first set after a challenge by Head Coach
Sara Thomas overturned an Akron set point, allowing the Panthers to rally back to take a 1-0 lead. In the second set, Eastern put up the most dominating single-set performance of the tournament. Early on in the set, the duo of
Natalie Mitchem and
Julia Stanev recorded three consecutive blocks to help the Panthers to a 6-0 lead. Later on, EIU ripped off a 9-0 run that included three service aces by
Sylvia Hasz.
Akron was able to hold off EIU in set three, but in the fourth set the Panthers proved to be too much to handle, powering their way to another convincing set win to take the match.
Senior outside hitter Giovana Larregui López showed why she was last year's OVC Player of the Year, recording a team-leading 18 kills to go along with 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. She also added two service aces and a block assist to her day.
Natalie Mitchem posted another impressive performance as she recorded 17 kills on a .406 hitting percentage and four block assists on the afternoon, while setter Catlina Rochaix collected 50+ assists for the second consecutive match. Sophomore
Kate Dean also had a strong showing, compiling 10 kills on a .556 hitting percentage. Libero
Christina Martinez Mundo anchored the Panthers defense with a game-high 24 digs, and
Julia Stanev led the team in blocks with three total.
Natalie Mitchem was named tournament MVP, with Catlina Rochaix and Giovana Larregui López also being named to the All-Tournament team. The full team can be viewed below:
All-Tournament Team
Natalie Mitchem, EIU – MVP
Catalina Rochaix, EIU
Giovana Larregui López, EIU
Sam Warren, Valpo
Miranda Strongman, Valpo
Logan Jeffus, ULM
Vanessa Del Real, Akron
Next up for EIU is the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invite in Indianapolis next weekend. The Panthers' first opponent will be Oral Roberts at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 1st. Eastern will also square off with UC Riverside at 2 p.m. Friday and IUPUI at 12 p.m. the following Saturday.
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