Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Multiple Panthers shined in the series opening sweep over Western Illinois. With the win, EIU improves to 7-15 (6-5 OVC), while the Leathernecks fall to 3-18 (3-8 OVC). The newcomers made an impact as rookie Kaeden Foxx recorded 11 kills without committing an error, marking the first error-free performance of her career. Defensively, freshman Emma Hanson set a new career high with seven blocks.  

Eastern Illinois responded to an early deficit with an 8-0 scoring run to take a 14-7 lead in the opening set. After the media timeout, Eastern Illinois continued to build momentum with five unanswered points to hold a 22-14 commanding lead. Jorah Rutter paced EIU early with a set-high four kills. The Panthers sealed the 25-18 first-set victory with back-to-back kills from Katie Kopshever and Kaeden Foxx. 

The second set remained closely contested with both teams exchanging points throughout. Eastern Illinois gained some separation with back-to-back points following the media timeout. Foxx helped maintain the Panthers' advantage, recording six of her 11 kills in the set. Western Illinois took just their second lead of the game after Teran's blocking error, giving WIU a 23-22 lead heading into the final stages of the set. The Leathernecks outhit EIU with a match-high .294 hitting percentage in the set. A kill by Foxx, followed by a Western Illinois setting error, gave the Panthers a narrow 24-23 advantage and set point. However, WIU answered with back-to-back kills to put EIU on the defensive. The Panthers responded with a clutch 3-0 run to close out the set, securing a 27-25 victory and taking a 2-0 match lead. 

Both teams traded lengthy scoring runs to open the final set, but EIU maintained the upper hand heading into the scheduled media timeout. The Panthers offense exploded in the third set with 11 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Teran led the Panthers with 12 kills, reaching double figures with a timely bloop kill that extended EIU's advantage to 21-16. After Western Illinois added a point, EIU responded with four consecutive points to seal the match. Alanays Nieves delivered the knout out blow with three consecutive service aces to close out the match, giving Eastern Illinois eight aces on the night.  

By The Numbers: 
EIU: 113 Attacks, 42 Kills, 41 Assists, .257 Hit%, 8 Aces, 47 Digs, 10 Blocks 

WIU: 115 Attacks, 42 Kills, 41 Assists, .200 Hit%, 1 Aces, 52 Digs, 5 Blocks 
 

Up Next: Panthers and Leathernecks will wrap up the series tomorrow at 4pm.