Match One:
Eastern Illinois 8-15 (7-5 OVC) vs SIUE 8-16 (6-6 OVC)
Date & Time: November 12th at 6 PM
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Timer Series: EIU leads 18-15
Match Two:
Eastern Illinois 8-15 (7-5 OVC) vs SIUE 8-16 (6-6 OVC)
Date & Time: November 13th at 4 PM
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Time Series: EIU leads 18-15
Ready to Serve: The Panthers are set to host SIUE for their final home matches of the season. Eastern Illinois will celebrate fan appreciation night on Thursday at 6 p.m. before closing out its home schedule on Friday with senior day at 4 p.m. Hannah Hawksin, Sydney Javes, and Katie Kopshever will be recognized for their contributions to the program.
Senior Day
Hawkins, Javes, and Kopshever each will be celebrated for their contributions to the program on Friday at 4 PM.
Hawkins, the 5th year transfer from Manson, Washington, has played one season here at EIU. In her time with the Panthers, she has started 15 matches and appeared in 37 sets. She has totaled 183 assists (4.95 assists per set), 61 digs, 8 service aces, and 3 blocks. For her collegiate career, she has recorded 839 assists and 267 digs.
Javes is from Frederick, Colorado, and has played two seasons with the Panthers. She appeared in 2 matches and played 3 sets. She has totaled 10 kills in her collegiate career. Prior to Eastern Illinois, she played for Stonehill College. She is working towards her neuroscience degree.
Kopshever is from Newburgh, Indiana. She has appeared in 68 matches, playing in 234 sets. Kopshever has recorded 731 kills, a .209 hitting percentage, 537 digs, 87 blocks, and 48 service aces. Her career high is 23 kills, 25 digs, and 6 blocks. She has totaled 17 double-doubles, including six this season. Kopshever earned 1st team All-OVC in 2025 and has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week two times this season. She is working towards her biological sciences degree.
Pereles Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
Ariadna Pereles was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on November 9th. This marks her third OVC weekly award of the season after being named the DPOW on September 28th and October 12th. In 2025, she was named DPOW twice.
In the sweep over Western Illinois, Ariadna Pereles totaled 32 digs (5.33 DPS) in the two matches. On Thursday, she led the way for EIU with 14 digs (4,67 DPS), two service aces, and two assists.
In the Friday sweep, Pereles had a match-best 18 digs (6.00 DPS).
She currently ranks first in the OVC in digs with 353 on the year (4.47 DPS/S).
Rookie Dominance
In the sweep over Western Illinois, Kaeden Foxx and Emma Hanson both had career-highs. Both freshmen started and played every set in the two matches. On Friday, Foxx recorded 11 kills without committing an error, marking the first error-free performance of her career.
Following suite, Hanson paced the Panthers defensively, setting a career-high seven blocks in the contest. She totaled 11 blocks over the two matches.
Last Time Out
Eastern Illinois recorded their second series sweep of the season after a dominating performance against Western Illinois. EIU has now won six of their last seven games. Katie Kopshever shined for the Panthers, recording her sixth double-double of the season on Thursday, tallying 18 kills & 10 digs.
Eastern Illinois showcased a balanced effort, recording its second-best hitting percentage of the season at .243 while outhitting Western Illinois 86-80 in kills. Alongside Kopshever and Foxx, Abana Teran played a key role with 19 kills (3.17 kills per set) and seven blocks. Hannah Hawksin and Alanys Nives continued to share setting responsibilities, with Hawkins leading the offense with 43 assists, followed by Nieves with 33.
Defensively, the Panthers recorded 20 team blocks, led by Alana Guibert with eight. Hanson contributed 11 blocks; Teran added seven, and Jorah Rutter, Foxx, and Kopshever each finished with four.
Four Panthers recorded double-digit digs, led by Ariadna Pereles with 32. Anna McEwen and Kopshever each added 17 digs, while Hawkins contributed 14.
EIU defense limited Western Illinois to a .183 hitting percentage while forcing 39 errors.
Scouting Report
Eastern Illinois leads the all-time series 18-15 with EIU winning the last matchup in 2024. The Panthers and SIUE did not meet in 2025 due to the uneven OVC schedule. After sweeping Morehead State in Edwardsville, the Cougars are 8-16 overall with a 6-6 OVC record. Offensively, Sophie Robinson leads the way with a team-high 211 kills. Completing the duo, Kenneddy Pike is second on the team with 189 kills.
Defensively, Jehireh Williams has shined, ranking fourth in the OVC in blocks with 47 (0.87 blocks per set). Alongside Williams, Kinley Quast has appeared in 70 sets, totaling a team-best 168 digs.
The Cougars are directed by Kendall Paulus, who is in her seventh season as the head coach for SIUE. Coach Paulus was previously the assistant coach for the Cougars for six seasons before being named the fifth head coach in program history.
OVC Top Five
Ariadna Pereles – 1st Digs (353 | 4.47 DPS)
Katie Kopshever – 3rd Points (323.5 | 4.26 PPS) | 4th Kills (287 | 3.78 KPS)
Peyton Castillo – 4th Assists (268 | 6.23 APS)
Team Blocks – 4th (145.5 | 1.84 BPS)
Looking ahead: Eastern Illinois will conclude the regular season at SEMO on November 17th & 18th
