The Eastern Illinois volleyball team will open its season a little earlier as the Panthers announced on Friday (Aug. 4) they have added an exhibition match on Wednesday, August 16 at Illinois.
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The match will be played at historic Huff Hall with a 6 p.m. start time. Admission for the match is free to the public.
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EIU hosted Illinois at First Mid Court at Lantz Arena last season during the regular season setting an EIU arena record for attendance for a volleyball match.Â
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Following the match at Illinois, EIU opens the regular season hosting the EIU Panther Invitational presented by Unique Suites on August 24-25.  The tournament will consist of four matches on Friday and two on Saturday with all six matches set to be streamed on ESPN+.  Teams in the tournament include host EIU, Akron, Louisiana Monroe and Valparaiso.
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The 2023 home schedule also includes two home matches with SEC member Missouri on Sept. 14 and 15 with the Ohio Valley Conference home opener on Sept. 18 against Southern Indiana.
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