Eastern Illinois was unable to push away from Lindenwood, losing the second match of the series 3-0. The Panthers fall to 2-13 (1-3 OVC), while the Lions improve to 13-2 (4-0 OVC).
The Panthers started on fire with a 5-0 scoring run, eventually pushing the lead to a 10-6 advantage. However, the Lions exploded for a 5-0 scoring of their own to tie the match at 10 apiece. Lindenwood continued to momentum heading into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. EIU was unable to slow the Lions trailing 23-17. The timeouts were not enough, losing set one 25-18.
Susanna Beretti controlled the match offensively, smashing 15 kills with a .481 hitting percentage. Kaci Johnson directed the offense with 43 assists.
EIU and the Lions traded points in set two, with the Panthers holding an early 11-9 advantage. Similar to set one, the Lions controlled the lead, 15-11 entering the break. Eastern Illinois fell behind, trailing 19-14, but turned the effort around in the late stages. EIU used a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to within two, followed by a 4-0 run to tie the set at 21-21. The Lions scored four out of the next six points to close set two winning 25-23.
After the media timeout, Lindenwood controlled the entire way, speeding up to a 20-14 advantage. EIU was never able to turn the momentum, falling 25-16.
Katie Kopshever led the Panthers with seven kills, followed by Abana Teran's six. Mirea Thederahn earned her second appearance in her career, earning five kills. Hannah Hawkins directed the Panthers offense with 17 assists. Defensively, Kopshever produced a team-best 12 digs, followed by Ariadna Pereles' 11.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 102 Attacks, 32 Kills, 31 Assists, .176 Hit%, 6 Aces, 39 Digs, 4 Blocks
Lindenwood: 110 Attacks, 53 Kills, 50 Assists, 0.382 Hit%, 2 Aces, 52 Digs, 10 Blocks
Up Next: Panthers travel to Martin, Tennessee to face Ut Martin on October 9th & Oct 10th.
