Eastern Illinois' unbeaten home record at Gardella Family Court in McAfee Gym is snapped after falling to Illinois in four sets. The Panthers previously held a perfect 13-0 home record since moving to Gardella Family Court in McAfee Gym. EIU falls to 1-8 (0-0 OVC), while Illinois improves to 6-3 (0-0 Big Ten).
The Panthers set a new home attendance record at McAfee Gym tonight, with 1,341 fans in attendance for the match against Illinois. The previous record of 864 was set during last year's OVC Championship match against Morehead State.
EIU started strong but four straight Illini points to extend their lead to 16-10 in the middle stages of set one. The Panthers fell deep into a hole and dropped set one 25-17.
Set two was a Panthers thrilling victory, ending in a 26-24 win. Both teams went point-for-point until EIU secured the next four of the next five points, heading into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead. After the break, the Panthers continued to control the set, holding a 21-16 lead forcing an Illini timeout. Illinois responded with a threatening comeback, tying the match at 22. However, Eastern Illinois did not panic, scoring four of the last five points to earn a 26-24 victory. The Panthers offense was rolling, out-killing the Illini 26-24 with a .265 hitting percentage compared to Illinois' .257.
Set three and four went the Illini's way, closing out the match in four sets. The Fighting Illini paced away from the Panthers with a .362 hitting percentage. Paityn Chapman led the way offensively with 18 kills on a .350 hitting percentage. Alyssa Aguayo and Taylor de Boer followed with double-digit kills. Kenna Phelan directed the offense with 43 assists.
For EIU, they earned a win in the block category with eight compared to Illinois' seven. Katie Kopshever, Emma Hanson, and Anaya Rawlinson each finished with two blocks on the night.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 120 Attacks, 42 Kills, 49 Assists, .167 Hit%, 3 Aces, 42 Digs, 8 Blocks
Illinois: 116 Attacks, 56 Kills, 41 Assists, .362 Hit%, 7 Aces, 49 Digs, 7 Blocks
Up Next: Panthers will have a quick turnaround facing Notre Dame in a rare home-and-home series starting Friday, September 18th. EIU will host the Irish on Sunday at Gardella Family Court with the first serve set for 1 PM CT.
