Match One:   
Eastern Illinois 3-14 (2-4 OVC) vs. Tennessee State 0-15 (0-4 OVC)   
Date & Time: October 15th at 6:00 PM  
Location: Charleston, IL 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+  
All-Time Series: 24-14 

Match Two:   
Eastern Illinois 3-14 (2-4 OVC) vs. Tennessee State 0-15 (0-4 OVC)   
Date & Time: October 16th at 4:00 PM    
Location: Charleston, IL 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+ 
All-Time Series: 24-14 


Ready to Serve: Eastern Illinois returns home after two straight road trips to face Tennessee State on October 15th & 16th. The Panthers will host Dig Pink Night on Thursday, honoring breast cancer awareness. EIU enters the weekend with a 3-14 (2-4 OVC) record. The Tigers are seeking their first win of the season with a record of 0-15 (0-4 OVC).  

Dig Pink Match 
On Thursday, October 15th, Eastern Illinois will host Tennessee State for Dig Pink Night. Before the match, EIU will honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month by displaying a sign for each player and holding a moment of silence to remember and honor loved ones affected by breast cancer. This year, thousands of volleyball athletes from around the country will participate in The Side-Out Foundation's Dig Pink® program. Middle school, high school, college, club, and adult teams will advocate for those living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in their communities while raising funds for the Side-Out Foundation. 

Donations from Dig Pink events support metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients' participation in Side-Out's Precision Medicine Analysis Program in addition to supporting the foundation's own ongoing breast cancer research. 

Pereles Joined 1,000+ Dig Club 
Over the weekend, Ariadna Pereles reached a major milestone, surpassing 1,000 career digs in a Panther uniform. With the achievement, she becomes the 30th player in Eastern Illinois history to join the 1,000-dig club. After recording 14 digs on Saturday, Pereles now has 1,009 career digs.  

Stephanie Wallace holds the program record with 1,965 career digs (2012-2015), followed by Christina Martinez Mundo in second with 1,805 and Erica Gerth in third with 1,666. 

Pereles & Kopshever Named OVC Player of the Week 
For their efforts, Pereles and Kopshever were named OVC Player of the Weeks on Monday. Pereles earned her second OVC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season after reaching the 1,000-career dig milestone. On Saturday, she became the 30th Panther in program history to join the 1,000+ Dig Club. The recognition marks the fourth OVC Player of the Week honor of her career. Pereles led the conference with 35 digs (5.00 DPS) over the weekend, recording 21 digs (5.25 DPS) in Friday's loss and adding 14 digs (4.67 DPS) in Saturday's victory.   

Kopshever delivered a career-best performance on Friday, recording a personal-high 23 kills (5.74 KPS). She led the OVC over the weekend with 36 kills (5.14 KPS) and a .370 hitting percentage, totaling 42.5 points and adding four blocks. The honor marks Kopshever's first OVC Offensive Player of the Week award and her second career OVC weekly honor after being named Freshman of the Week in 2024.   

Losing Streak Snapped 
After a conference opening win against Southern Indiana, the Panthers suffered four consecutive setbacks, winning only three sets in the timespan. Now, the Panthers are back in the win column after a convincing 3-0 sweep to close out the weekend series against UT Martin.  

Weekend Recap 
The Panthers split the weekend series against UT Martin, winning on Saturday following a Friday opening loss in Martin, Tennessee. Eastern Illinois' defense shined, holding the Skyhawks to a .151 hitting percentage, while totaling 108 (15.43 DIG/S) digs and 14 blocks. Along with Pereles' 35 digs, Alana Guibert was a bright spot, totaling a match-best five blocks on Saturday. Jorah Rutter and Kopshever each produced four blocks apiece. Anna McEwen stepped up and recorded 18 digs (2.57 DIG/S). 

Offensively, the Panthers were led by Kopshever's 36 kills, followed by Abana Teran totaling 14 kills (2.00 KPS). The freshman, Kaedenn Foxx, had a stellar performance on Saturday, finishing with nine kills and a .533 hitting percentage. EIU totaled an impressive 18 service aces along with a .911 serving percentage.  

Alanys Nieves and Hannah Hawkins split duties directing the offense with a combined 71 assists. Nieves finished with 39 assists, while Hawkins totaled 32 over the weekend.  

Scouting Report 
Eastern Illinois holds a 24-14 all-time record against the Tigers after sweeping the season series last year. In 2025, the Panthers earned 3-0 and 3-1 victories in early November, extending their streak of 12 consecutive conference wins. Tennessee State is led by a trio of players to keep an eye on; Gabrielle Washington, Triniti Jackson, and Jordan Imperial. Washington ranks second in the OVC in blocks with 38 (0.93 AVG/S) and second in the league in hitting percentage at .358. The rookie, Jackson, is the third in the OVC in assists with 319 (6.51 AVG/S). Jackson earned OVC Co-Rookie of the Week on September 14th after totaling 81 assists, 25 digs, 10 kills, and seven blocks over 11 sets against North Alabama and Evansville. Rounding out the trio, Imperial ranks sixth in the OVC in digs with 167 (3.41 AVG/S). The Tigers are led by Head Coach Donika Sutton, who enters her 10th season at the helm. Sutton led the Tigers to an OVC championship in 2022, leading to an NCAA Tournament loss to Ohio State.   

OVC Top Five 
Ariadna Pereles – 1st Digs 244 (4.14 AVG/S) 
Katie Kopshever – 4th Points 246.5 (4.18 AVG/S) | 4th Kills 215 (3.64 AVG/S) 
Peyton Castillo – 4th Assists 252 (6.46 AVG/S) 
Emma Hanson – 5th Hitting Percentage (.283) 


Looking Ahead: Eastern Illinois travels to Morehead State on October 29th & October 30th.