Match One:                                                                                                                        
Eastern Illinois 0-0 (0-0 OVC) vs Santa Clara 0-0 (0-0 WCC)                                        
Date & Time: August 28th at 10:00 a.m.                                                                              
Live Coverage: Live Stats                                                                                                   
All-Time Series: 0-1                                                                                                             

Match Two:
Eastern Illinois 0-0 (0-0 OVC) at Wright State 0-0 (0-0 Horizon League)
Date & Time: August 29th at 12:00 p.m.
Live Coverage: Live Stats
All-Time Series: 6-6

Match Three: 
Eastern Illinois 0-0 (0-0 OVC) at Dayton 0-0 (0-0 A-10)  
Date & Time: August 29th at 6:00 p.m. 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+ 
All-Time Series: 0-3 

Ready to Serve
Eastern Illinois opens their 2026 season campaign with a trip to Dayton, Ohio, for the Flyer Invitational. The Panthers will face three separate opponents, kicking off the weekend in a neutral-site match against Santa Clara. EIU will round out the weekend on Saturday with a doubleheader against Wright State at noon, followed by Dayton at 6:00 p.m. CT. In 2025, the Panthers went a perfect 2-0 in their opening weekend with wins over Bucknell and Ohio University.  

New Look Panthers 
EIU will look to defend their OVC title with an almost entirely new group after losing nine players from the 2025 squad. The Panthers return only four players who logged minutes last season, three of which were starters. Katie Kopshever, Ariadna Pereles, Anaya Rawlinson, and Jorah Rutter are among the familiar faces returning to the Panthers lineup. Coach Millar welcomed 10 newcomers, including six freshmen. The Panthers rounded out their 2026 class with two JUCO additions and two four-year transfers.  

All-OVC Returners 
Kopshever and Pereles are both back for the junior season after earning All-OVC recognition last year. Kopshever was named to the first team All-OVC after totaling 326 kills (3.02 KPS) and 261 digs (2.42 DPS), recording 21 double-digit kill games, and posting 11 double-doubles (kills and digs). She ranked ninth in the OVC in kills per set and ranked ninth in the OVC for points per set with 3.65.   

Pereles was named to the second team All-OVC after ranking 16th in the nation and second in the OVC for digs per set with 4.99. During her sophomore season, she led the team with 563 digs and ranked second on the team in assists with 110. Last season, Pereles earned two OVC Defensive Player of the Week awards and recorded a season high of 31 digs against Montana University.   

OVC Preseason Poll & Players to Watch 
After winning both the OVC regular season and conference tournament, EIU was selected to finish fourth in the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. The regular season co-champion, Morehead State, was picked to win the OVC, while Southeast Missouri and Southern Indiana were picked ahead of Eastern Illinois.  

Along with the release of the preseason poll, the OVC announced the players to watch for the upcoming season. All eyes will be on sophomore opposite hitter Jorah Rutter and senior setter Hannah Hawkins, as they were both placed on the OVC players to watch list.  

Rutter returns after being the only freshman to see the court last season, appearing in seven matches, recording 11 kills and 8 blocks, and finishing with a .333 hitting percentage.   

Hawkins, the newcomer, transferred to EIU from Wichita State. For the Shockers, she appeared in 30 matches totaling 96 assists, which ranked second on the team. Prior to Wichita State, she spent three seasons with High Point (2022-24), appearing in 46 matches and being a member of three consecutive Big South championship teams. In 2023, Hawkins dished out 48 assists in three sets against Charleston Southern, which was the third-most assist in a three-set match by any NCAA Division I player. A year later, she set a new personal best with 50 assists, six blocks, and five kills against UMBC.   

Building Under Millar 
Head Coach Ryan Millar enters his second season at the helm after a remarkable debut campaign. Coach Millar led the Panthers (24-8) to the program's eighth 20-win season. EIU stormed through conference play, finishing with a 15-3 record and collecting the program's fourth regular season title. Millar became just the third coach in school history to be named the OVC Coach of the Year. He guided the Panthers to their third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, where they fell to regional host Wisconsin in the first round. 

Back on Top 
In 2023, EIU was the leader of the OVC, winning both the regular season and tournament championship with a final record of 28-5 (15-3 OVC). A year later, the Panthers struggled, finishing ninth in the conference with a record of 9-19 (5-13 OVC). Now, Coach Millar and Gardella have brought the Panthers back to the top of the OVC once again, winning the conference title twice in the past three seasons. 

Exhibition Action 
Eastern Illinois competed in three tune-up matches before beginning the regular season. EIU faced two Missouri Valley Conference opponents, welcoming Indiana State to Family Gardella Court, before taking a short road trip to Bradley University. The Panthers concluded their preseason schedule with the Black & Blue scrimmage on Monday.  

Scouting Report 
Santa Clara: Eastern Illinois has only faced off against Santa Clara one time in program history, dating back to 2002, in which EIU fell in four sets. The Broncos finished last season with a 17-12 (12-6 WCC) record, fourth in the West Coast Conference. The 17-win season a year ago was the highest win total since 2019. Santa Clara is led by head coach Erin Lindsey, who enters her eighth season in charge and has produced three players on the AVCA All-Region selections during her tenure. To begin their 2026 season, Santa Clara placed three on the WCC preseason team, including Lexi Trapani, Cate Shanahan, and Macy Hinshaw. Shanahan and Hinshaw were 2025 all-WCC first teamers, while Trapani earned all-WCC second team.  

Wright State: The Raiders finished last season with a 21-11 (13-5 Horizon) record and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Wright State fell to Purdue in the first round in three sets. The Raiders are coached by Travers Green, who has won three straight Horizon Coach of the Year honors ('22, '23, '24). These two programs are even with a 6-6 all-time series record. The last time they met was in 2005, when the Raiders earned a 3-0 sweep.  

Dayton: The Flyers ended last season on a sour note, losing to VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championship. However, they dominated the regular season with a 23-7 and an impressive 18-0 conference record. Tim Horsmon returns to the Flyers' bench as he enters his 18th season as head coach. Horsom holds a career record of 427 wins, including a 31-win mark in their run to the NCAA Regional in 2024. Entering the 2026 season, the Flyers received votes in the AVCA Top 25. Dayton leads the all-time series 3-0 against the Panthers, with the most recent meeting being a four-set victory in 2015.  

Looking Ahead
Eastern Illinois will continue their difficult non-conference schedule in Utah for the BYU/Utah Nike Invitational for a three-game weekend on September 3rd.