Match One: 
Eastern Illinois 1-2 (0-0 OVC) at #24 BYU 2-0 (0-0 Big 12) 
Date & Time: September 3rd at 7:30 PM (CT) 
Location: Provo, Utah 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+ 
All-Time Series: 0-0 
Tickets & Game Day Information

Match Two: 
Eastern Illinois 1-2 (0-0 OVC) vs. Long Beach State 0-2 (0-0 Big West) 
Date & Time: September 4th at 5 PM (CT) 
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Time Series: 0-0 

Match Three: 
Eastern Illinois 1-2 (0-0 OVC) vs. Wyoming 2-0 (0-0 Mountain West) 
Date & Time: September 5th at 1 PM (CT) 
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah 
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Time Series: 1-0 


Ready to Serve: Eastern Illinois continues their long road trip to start the regular season, traveling to the BYU/Utah Nike Invitational. The Panthers will open the weekend against #24 BYU on Thursday in Provo, Utah, before making the 45-minute trip to Salt Lake City for two matches. EIU will face Long Beach State on Friday before wrapping up the weekend against Wyoming on Saturday. The match against BYU will mark just the 14th time EIU has faced a ranked opponent in the regular season. Eastern Illinois is winless in all 14 matchups against ranked opponents.  

Millar Returns to BYU 
Head Coach Ryan Millar had an accomplished volleyball career at BYU, where he was named the NCAA Player of the Year in 1999 and led the Cougars to an NCAA National Championship. After graduating, Millar went on to spend 15 years with the USA Men's National Team, helping the team capture the 2008 Olympic gold medal in Beijing. 

He served as an assistant coach for BYU in 2006 before taking over as the interim head coach of the men's program in 2007, leading the Cougars to a 24-6 record. In 2009, Millar was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame.  

Road Trip 
The Panthers are opening their 2026 non-conference schedule with eight consecutive road matches, traveling to three states and four different cities. EIU will finally return home on September 16th to host the University of Illinois. Before their home opener, the Panthers will make stops in Ohio, Utah, and Indiana.  

Difficult Non-Conference Schedule 
In preparation for the OVC schedule, Coach Millar has put together a challenging non-conference slate. Eight of the Panthers' 10 non-conference opponents posted winning records in 2025, with six recording at least 20 victories. The schedule also features four teams that competed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including Wright State, BYU, Cal Poly, and Indiana. Three of those teams entered the 2026 season ranking in the AVCA Top 25 or received votes.  

Hanson Wins OVC Defensive Player of the Week 
The rookie, Emma Hanson, quickly made her mark in a Panthers uniform, earning OVC Defensive Player of the Week. Hanson was a vital piece to the Panthers' defense, starting in all three matches over the weekend. In 11 sets played, she totaled a team-high 15 blocks (1.36 B/S). Hanson also produced 11 kills and a .273 hitting percentage.  

Newcomers Making Immediate Impact 
The senior transfer from New Mexico State, Peyton Castillo, made an immediate impact as Coach Millar's starting setter. Castillo was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts throughout the weekend. She finished with 84 assists, 15 digs, 8 kills, and 5 blocks.   

Kaeden Foxx made her collegiate debut this past weekend and was second on the team in total kills. Appearing in all three matches, Foxx recorded 18 kills and a .229 hitting percentage. 

Right behind Foxx, Abana Teran, a transfer from Daytona State College, played in all 11 sets, totaling 17 kills.   

Weekend Recap 
The Panthers finished the weekend 1-2 with a win over Santa Clara on Friday. EIU trailed the Broncos 2-0 before earning a reverse sweep victory. On Saturday, Eastern Illinois struggled offensively, suffering two sweeps against Wright State and Dayton.  

EIU finished the weekend with a .177 hitting percentage while recording 114 kills on 339 attempts. The Panthers were hindered by 27 reception errors and 14 service errors. 

Against Santa Clara, Katie 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.    

Against Wright State, 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.    

Against Dayton, no Panthers had double-digit kills, as Kopshever finished with nine; Kaeden Foxx had 8, and Abana Teran totaled six.    

Scouting Report 
BYU: These two programs will meet for the first time on Thursday at the Nike Invitational. BYU enters the weekend ranked #24 in the recent AVCA Division I volleyball rankings. This match marks the 14th time EIU will face a ranked opponent in the regular season. BYU is coached by Rob Neilson, who is in his first season as head coach. Coach Neilson has a balanced attack with six players over double-digit kills. Claire Little Chambers leads the way in three major categories: 21 kills, 15 digs, and 11 blocks. The Cougars are 2-0 on the season with wins over Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast.  

Long Beach State: EIU will face Long Beach State for the first time in program history. The Beach are winless (0-2) to start the year with a pair of losses against UCLA. Long Beach State is led by Natalie Reagan, who is in her third season at the helm after earning two straight winning seasons. Offensively, Sidney Hamaker leads the way with 27 kills (3.86 K/S). Defensively, Anna Jelinek is the driving force with 29 digs.  

Wyoming: EIU leads the all-time series over Wyoming 1-0, with a win dating back 22 years ago. In 2004, the Panthers outpaced the Cowgirls in four sets. Wyoming opened their season with wins over Texas Tech and St. Thomas. The Cowgirls are coached by Kaylee Prigge, who is in her fourth season as head coach and eight seasons overall with the program. Paige Lauterwasser leads the way offensively with 27 kills (3.86 K/S), while Rya Fingerlin is the leader of the defensive, totaling 29 digs through the first two matches.  


Looking Ahead: The Panthers will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, for a Friday doubleheader on September 11th against Cal Poly and #21 Indiana.