Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)
Eastern Illinois opened their conference play against Lindenwood and squeezed out a close 3-1 victory. The Panthers improve to 7-4 (1-0), while the Lions drop to 4-5 (0-1).
Set One: Lindenwood set the tone early with three straight unanswered points, quieting a rocking crowd to start the match. However, EIU will keep the set close with two kills by Lilli Amettis. As the set went on, Lindenwood kept an arm's length distance. With the Lions continuing to put pressure on the Panthers, Lilli Amettis, with her second back-to-back kill play, brought the Panthers back, but they were still trailing 18-16. Then, EIU would take their first lead of the set with a 5-0 scoring run fueled by Destiny Walker and Katie Kopshever. The Panthers would hold on to win the opening set 25-22 after a service error by Amelia Thro.
Set Two: Similar to the first set, the Panthers trailed early, down 8-3 after Lindenwood opened with a 5-0 scoring run of their own. A service ace would slow the game down, but the Panthers would not hold serve for long due to another long scoring run from the Lions. With EIU trailing 15-10, flashbacks to set one occurred; the Panthers used a 4-0 scoring run to energize all 335 fans in attendance. Two Lindenwood points later, EIU fires away four unanswered points to take their first lead of set two. Lindenwood's Geluck Ashley would earn herself a kill to give the Lions a 25-24 lead. With their backs against the wall, EIU scores three straight with back-to-back kills from Walker and a service ace from Ariadna Pereles to close it out 27-25.
Set Three: Lindenwood opened up set three firing with a quick 12-5 lead. As usual, EIU would respond with a 6-0 scoring run charged by Tori Mohesky's serving ability and multiple Katie Kopshever kills. With the match tied at 13, Lindenwood and Eastern Illinois would take turns scoring multiple points in a row, leading to a 19-19 tie. Set three would go the distance once again, with the Lions taking set three 28-26 off a 3-0 scoring run by Geluck Ashley and company.
Set Four: The Panthers would settle into their feet and start set four off on a high note, leading 9-6. EIU, knowing it was a closeout set, put their foot on the gas, going on multiple scoring runs, including a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 18-8. Leading by ten points, EIU stood firm, continuing to pile on their dominance, leading by as much as 11. The lead cushioned to 22-11. With the big lead, Eastern Illinois never looked back, with a Destiny Walker service ace and Lindenwood's service error giving the Panthers a match victory!
By the Numbers: Destiny Walker led the team and the game with 20 kills and 9 digs. Katie Kopshever recorded 12 kills and 6 digs. The playmaker, Catalina Rochaix, led the way with 41 assists and 10 digs. Defensively, Anaya Rawlinson provided 4 blocks, and Ariadna Pereles led the game with 19 digs and tagged on 5 service aces.
As a team, EIU totaled 65 points, 54 kills, 6 blocks, 50 assists, and 55 digs.
Eastern Illinois will be back in action on Saturday, September 27th, at 4:00 p.m. against Lindenwood for the final game of the weekend.
