Eastern Illinois (0-0) vs. Ohio (0-0)

The first regular season matches under new head coach Ryan Miller will be underway this weekend in the Ohio Bobcat Tournament. After a strong exhibition match this past weekend against Illinois State, the Panthers will be headed to Athens, Ohio. In the two-game tournament, they will face Bucknell University on Saturday, August 30th, at 11:00 a.m. and the University of Ohio on Sunday, August 31st, at 11:00 a.m. 

About the Panthers: After a tough season a year ago, in which the Panthers finished eighth in the OVC, the nine returners will look to steer the ship in the right direction. In 2023, just two years ago, EIU won the OVC with a roster that had some familiar faces, including Catalina Rochaix, the setter of the year winner and first team all-conference. In addition to Rochaix, Tori Mohesky, Sylvia Hasz, Laura Paniagua, and a 2025 OVC player to watch, Lilli Amettis, returned from the championship squad. To begin the 2025 season campaign, they will compete against two unfamiliar opponents. The match against Bucknell University will be the first matchup between these two programs. On a similar note, this will be the second all-time meeting with Ohio University. Ohio won the first meeting three sets to two on August 30th, 1996, on a neutral site. 

New Head Coach: After arriving in the spring of 2024, Head Coach Ryan Miller will be on the EIU sideline for the first time this coming weekend. The 14th coach in program history was a fifteen-year member of the USA Men's National Team and a part of the 2008 USA Olympic gold medal-winning team. Prior to accepting the coaching position at Eastern Illinois, Miller served as an associate head coach at San Diego Miramar College for three seasons. Coach Miller also served as the interim head coach for BYU's men's program in 2007 and earned a record of 24-6. 

New Talent: Coach Miller has brought in eight new faces to the program to pair with the nine returners, bolstering the depth with five experienced college transfers and three freshmen. The five transfers include Giorgia Cappelletti, Anaya Rawlinson, Jasmyne Boone, Alex Dever, and Sydney Javes. Those five join the three freshmen, who are Jorah Rutter, Alanys Nieves, and Alan Guibert.

OVC Preseason Standings & Player to Watch: On August 21st, the OVC released their preseason predicted order of finish, returning All-OVC members, and players to watch for the upcoming season. EIU was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, which was led by the top three finishers from the 2024 season. Southeast Missouri took first with 194 votes, followed by Lindenwood with 161 and Tennessee Tech in third place with 160 total votes. Senior leader Lilli Amettis was named the Panther player to watch for the 2025 season. Over her career, Amettis has competed in 121 sets and totaled 229 kills. 

Exhibition Highlights: In the home exhibition game against Illinois State last weekend, EIU unofficially began their season red hot. The Panthers recorded 55 kills, with Destiny Walker leading the way with 18 total. In addition, to go along with her 18 kills, Walker led the team with 14 digs. As a team, the Panthers recorded 7 blocks, with Anaya Rawlinson leading the way with 5 block assists.