COVERAGE
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ON TAP: After winning their third tournament title of the season and bringing their overall record to a perfect 9-0, the Eastern Illinois volleyball team returns home to the friendly confines of Lantz Arena this week to take on the SEC's Missouri Tigers in a two-game series. The first match is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th at 6 p.m., followed by the second match at 4 p.m. on Friday. 

SERIES HISTORY: EIU is 3-4 all-time versus Missouri. Their last matchup came back in 2002, when the Tigers were still a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Panthers are 3-12 all-time against SEC opponents, with a pair of victories over Ole Miss and one win against Mississippi State.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  

WEEKEND RECAP: EIU was able to crash the Southern Illinois Saluki Bash over the weekend to bring home the season's third tournament title in as many tries. The Panthers swept both Arkansas State and Alabama A&M 3-0 on Friday before taking down Southern Illinois 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to remain unbeaten.  

ALL-TOURNAMENT TRIO: Three Panthers received All-Tournament recognition for their efforts in Carbondale. Natalie Mitchem was named Tournament MVP after recording 33 kills (4.71 KPS) on a .369 hitting percentage along with six blocks. Christina Martinez Mundo (56 digs, 5.60 DPS, six service aces) and Kaitlyn Flynn (23 kills, 3.29 KPS, three service aces) were also named to the All-Tournament Team.  

CAREER MILESTONE: Giovana Larregui López surpassed 500 career kills over the weekend, as she brought her career total to 504. The outside hitter currently has a career kills per set average of 3.88. 

CONFERENCE LEADERS: Natalie Mitchem sits atop the Ohio Valley Conference in multiple statistical categories including total kills (116), kills per set (4.00), points (128.0), and points per set (4.41). Catalina Rochaix leads in both total assists (306) and assists per set (10.55), while Julia Stanev paces the league in blocks per set with an average of 1.15.  

NATIONAL LEADERS: The Panthers' paw prints can also be found all over the NCAA's Division I leader boards. Giovana Larregui López ranks seventh in the nation in Service aces per set with an average of .69 and sits tied for 14th in total aces with 20, both of which lead the OVC. Christina Martinez Mundo is in 11th place nationally with an average of 5.38 digs per set. Rochaix's 10.55 assists per set currently place her 27th nationally. As a team, EIU is third in the country in aces per set (2.59) and 13th in hitting percentage (.298).  

STILL PERFECT: Entering the final week of non-conference play Eastern remains unbeaten with a 9-0 record. It is the most impressive start to a season in program history and one of the best starts in the country this year. The Panthers are one of just 14 remaining unbeaten teams, and only half of those have played nine matches.  

LOOK AHEAD: EIU is set embark upon their conference schedule beginning next week. Their first OVC match is against Southern Indiana on Monday, September 18th at 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena. Later that week, the Panthers will be back on the road at UT Martin to take on the Skyhawks in a pair of weekend contests, with one on Friday, September 22nd and the other on Saturday, September 23rd.

HEAD COACH: Sara Thomas is in her fourth season as the head coach at Eastern Illinois. Last season, Thomas led the Panthers to their second consecutive OVC Tournament appearance. Their 16-16 record was the program's best since 2015, and their 10-8 OVC mark was the first winning conference record since the same year. The Panthers are looking to take the next step this season and challenge for the OVC crown.