After earning a weekend opening win over Santa Clara, the Panthers dropped both matches on Saturday to conclude the Flyer Invitation & Wright State Classic. Eastern Illinois finishes the weekend with a 1-2 record.
EIU 0, Wright State 3
The Panthers opened the Saturday doubleheader with a loss to Wright State in a 3-0 setback. EIU battled the Raiders closely for the first two sets, including a 26-24 decision to begin the match. Eastern Illinois' rough start to each set was the difference maker as the Panthers trailed in all three sets at the 15-point media timeout. Wright State ran away in the close out set, outpacing the Panthers 25-10.
Eastern Illinois struggled offensively, finishing with a .126 hitting percentage. EIU recorded only 30 kills compared to the Raiders' 50, while also producing just 27 assists. The Panthers' self-inflicted miscues were too large to overcome. EIU suffered 16 attack errors, eight reception errors, and two service errors.
Defensively, Eastern Illinois was solid, totaling 40 digs and seven total blocks.
Katie Kopshever provided a spark offensively, leading the team with 14 kills. Ariadna Pereles paced the defense with 13 digs, while Emma Hanson recorded four block assists. McKenna Morton added three service aces.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 111 Attacks, 30 Kills, .126 Hit%, 5 Aces, 40 Digs, 7 Blocks
Wright State: 110 Attacks, 50 Kills, .327 Hit%, 8 Aces, 53 Digs, 8 Blocks
EIU 0, Dayton 3
EIU fell short, suffering a series sweep against Dayton in the final match of their weekend road swing. Eastern Illinois kept themselves within striking distance but was never able to climb over the hump. In set one, EIU held an 18-15 lead before allowing Dayton to surge past using a 5-0 scoring run to match the Panthers. The Flyers held the lead the rest of the way, winning the set opener 25-21. In set two, both teams went back-and-forth throwing punches, with Dayton holding the Panthers at arm's length. Trailing 15-11 heading in the media timeout, EIU was unable to disrupt the Flyers' momentum, losing 25-18. Dayton controlled the first half of set three, holding an early 9-3 lead, which grew to an 18-8 advantage. However, Eastern Illinois found a rhythm, using two separate 4-0 scoring runs, shrinking the deficit to within two (22-24). However, the Panthers' late rally felt short, losing set three 25-22.
EIU struggled offensively for the second time on Saturday, hitting .138 with 16 attack errors. No Panthers had double-digit kills, as Kopshever finished with nine; Kaeden Foxx had 8, and Abana Teran totaled six.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 87 Attacks, 28 Kills, .138 Hit%, 5 Aces, 36 Digs, 7 Blocks
Dayton: 98 Attacks, 41 Kills, .265 Hit%, 12 Aces, 32 Digs, 9 Blocks
Peyton Castillo was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts throughout the weekend. Castillo finished with 84 assists, 15 digs, 8 kills, and 5 blocks.
Up Next: EIU will head to the BYU/Nike Invitational next weekend for a three-game weekend. The Panthers will kick off the invite against BYU on Thursday, September 3rd, with the first serve set for 7 PM CT.
