Eastern Illinois stuns Santa Clara, earning the reverse sweep in five sets to move past the Broncos for the season opening victory.
EIU opened the match sluggishly, falling behind early 15-7 at the media timeout. Set one was controlled by the Broncos as they pushed their lead out to 19-7. Out of timeouts, the Panthers were unable to stop the bleeding, losing 25-13 in the first set.
Set two was a similar tone as Santa Clara jumped out of the gate strong, holding a 10-4 lead, forcing an EIU timeout. Following a mini 4-0 scoring run by the Panthers, the Broncos held Eastern Illinois at arm's length to secure a commanding two-set lead.
Trailing 2-0, the Panthers found life, winning the final three sets to secure their first victory of the season. A 7-0 scoring run to begin the third set was all that was needed as EIU held Santa Clara in check, winning 25-18. The Panthers flipped the switch offensively, hitting .294, while totaling 15 kills and three service aces.
EIU continued to lean on their offensive momentum, hitting .344 and .389 in the final two sets, while recording 23 kills.
Both teams battled back-and-forth throughout the fourth set, which featured eight ties and five lead changes. The Panthers tallied 14 kills and three additional service aces to pull ahead and even the match. Defensively, the Panthers recorded four of their seven total blocks in the set. A late 5-0 scoring run, led by Katie Kopshever, proved to be the difference as the Panthers secured the fourth set, 25-22.
Eastern Illinois cruised through the fifth set, using a 5-0 scoring run to build a commanding 11-5 lead. Santa Clara committed five attack errors and one service error, helping EIU maintain control and complete the reverse-sweep comeback.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 141 Attacks, 56 Kills, .241 Hit%, 6 Aces, 55 Digs, 7 Blocks
Santa Clara: 148 Attacks, 60 Kills, .230 Hit%, 7 Aces, 51 Digs, 8 Blocks
Kopshever led the way for the Panthers offensively with 18 kills. Kaeden Foxx added nine kills, and Abana Teran provided eight. Peyton Castillo finished the match with 39 assists. Defensively, Ariadna Pereles led the match with 16 digs, and Emma Hanson produced six blocks in her EIU debut.
Up Next: EIU will continue the Flyer Invitational with a doubleheader against Wright State and Dayton on Saturday.
