The Panthers honored their three seniors with a five-match thrilling win to sweep the season series over SIUE. With the win, EIU improves to 10-15 (9-5 OVC), while SIUE falls to 8-18 (6-8 OVC). Eastern Illinois has now won five straight and eight of their last nine matches.
Katie Kopshever made her mark on her senior day, smashing a career-high 26 kills. Her 26 kills is the most by an OVC player in a single-match this season. Kopshever recorded 12 digs in the match, earning her eighth double-double of the season and the 21st of her career, moving her into 15th place in program history.
Both teams began the match trading points until the Panthers fueled a 4-0 scoring run to take a late 21-20 advantage. EIU finished the set, scoring the last four of the five points, led by three SIUE attack errors. The Cougars suffered 25 attack errors on the evening.
Set two opened with a similar tone, with SIUE holding a 15-11 advantage heading into the media timeout. SIUE created separation with a 20-14 lead, but EIU responded with three straight points. The Panthers continued to battle, scoring three of four points to cut the deficit to two (20-22). A pivotal challenge went the Cougars' way, pushing them to match point. SIUE closed the set with a kill by Kennedy Pike, who recorded 17 kills and a .243 hitting percentage.
Eastern Illinois quickly rebounded with a 9-1 run to hold a commanding 15-4 advantage midway through the third set. Alana Guibert and Kaeden Foxx extended the lead to 20-7. Guibert totaled six kills, and Foxx had nine in the match. SIUE threatened a late rally, scoring four straight and six out of seven points. However, Abana Teran closed the door on any potential comeback with a right-side kill. Teran finished second on the team in kills with 15 and an impressive .414 hitting percentage.
After SIUE narrowly claimed the fourth set, EIU opened the deciding set with six consecutive points, highlighted by three of the Panthers' nine service aces. EIU kept the Cougars at arm's length, reaching match point with a 14-9 lead. SIUE responded with three straight points to cut the deficit to within two. With the momentum swinging, SIUE clinched the match for the Panthers with their fifth service error of the match. EIU closed out the match with a 15-12 victory.
Hannah Hawkins orchestrated the Panthers' offense with a season-high 31 assists, while Nieves added 29 to give the duo a combined 60 assists. Defensively, Ariadna Pereles led all players with 16 digs. EIU also recorded nine team blocks, led by Guibert with five, Teran with four, and Kopshever with three.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 177 Attacks, 70 Kills, 67 Assists, .249 Hit%, 9 Aces, 58 Digs, 9 Blocks
SIUE: 149 Attacks, 59 Kills, 57 Assists, .228 Hit%, 5 Aces, 65 Digs, 9 Blocks
Up Next: Panthers will close out the regular season on the road against first-place SEMO on November 17th at 6pm.
