CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois volleyball team (3-1, 0-0 OVC) swept Southern Illinois (4-2, 0-0 MVC) in Carbondale on Saturday afternoon to secure a perfect record at the Saluki Bash. The Panthers got a strong performance from freshman Katie Kopshever on their way to the 3-0 victory. The final set scores were as follows: 25-22, 25-22, 25-12.

In a competitive opening set, the Panthers trailed 17-18 before a quick 4-0 run gave EIU a late three-point advantage. The Salukis pulled back within one, but Eastern Illinois took three of the last four points to secure the set win. Katie Kopshever led the Eastern attack with six kills in the frame.

The second set was another tight battle, with the sides finding themselves in a 19-19 stalemate before EIU found another gear to finish the frame on a 7-3 run and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Kopshever scored the final three points for the Panthers on her way to eight kills in the frame.

The Panthers dominated in set three to complete the sweep and close out a perfect weekend in Carbondale. Kopshever kept things going in the frame with another six kills to bring her match total to 18 (6.00 KPS) on a .444 attack percentage.

She was followed by fellow freshman Destiny Walker with nine kills, while Ireland Hieb and Karli Mann posted seven kills apiece.

Catalina Rochaix continued to set up the EIU attack with 34 assists (11.33 APS) while racking up a team-leading 15 digs for her third consecutive assist-dig double-double.

Kopshever also posted a double-double with 12 digs, while Laura Paniagua recorded her third straight double-digit digs performance with 10 on the afternoon.

Next up for the Panthers is the Bradley Braves Tournament next weekend in Peoria. Eastern will face South Dakota State at 12 p.m. on Friday before taking on Bradley at 6:30 that same day. EIU will close out the weekend with another match against the Braves at 6:30 on Saturday.