Match One:
Eastern Illinois 1-10 (0-0 OVC) vs. Southern Indiana 5-7 (0-0 OVC)
Date & Time: September 25th at 6:00 PM
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Time Series: 4-4
Match Two:
Eastern Illinois 1-10 (0-0 OVC) vs. Southern Indiana 5-7 (0-0 OVC)
Date & Time: September 26th at 4:00 PM
Location: Charleston, Illinois
Live Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+
All-Time Series: 4-4
Read To Serve: Eastern Illinois will officially open OVC play when they host Southern Indiana in a two-match series over the weekend. The Panthers will welcome the Screaming Eagles to Charleston, Illinois, on Friday, with the match starting at 6 PM. Then, both teams will close the season series late Saturday afternoon with the first serve set for 4 PM.
Losing Skid
The Panthers enter the week on a 10-match losing streak following a season-opening win against Santa Clara on August 28th. The 10-match streak is the longest losing skid since 2021, where EIU dropped 13 matches in a row.
Fresh Start
A new season begins as the Panthers open OVC play after 11 non-conference opponents. This marks a fresh start for EIU with 16 OVC matches on the horizon. In 2025, EIU finished with a 15-3 conference record, winning the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championship. The Panthers won their second OVC tournament title in three years and their fourth regular season title in program history. To begin the new year, Eastern Illinois was selected to finish fourth in the OVC preseason poll behind Southern Indiana, SEMO, and Morehead State.
Setting Records
Eastern Illinois set a new home attendance record at McAfee Gym against Illinois, welcoming 1,341 fans to the match. The crowd beat the previous record of 864, set last season during the OVC Championship match against Morehead State.
The all-time attendance record at Lantz Arena, however, remains untouched. The mark of 2,004 fans was set in 2007 when Eastern Illinois hosted Tennessee State.
Strength of Schedule
According to Massey Ratings, Eastern Illinois holds the 16th toughest schedule in the nation. Outside of South Florida, EIU is the only non-power Four program ranked among the nation's top 25. Within the OVC, Western Illinois is the closest team to EIU at No. 133. The conference's top three preseason ranked teams include Morehead State at No. 155, Southern Indiana at No. 196, and SEMO at No. 203.
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.
Weekly Recap
The Panthers hosted two Power Four conference opponents, including Illinois, for just the second time since 1995. EIU faced Notre Dame in a home-and-home series for the first time in program history. Eastern Illinois went 0-3 against Illinois and Notre Dame, winning just one set. Offensively, the Panthers were unable to find a rhythm hitting .134 totaling 115 kills. Defensively, EIU was outdug 140-128 and outblocked 34.5 to 18.5.
Katie Kopshever was a bright spot, totaling 38 kills (3.80 K/S), followed by Abana Teran, who recorded 29 kills (2.90 K/S).
Ariadna Pereles paced the EIU defense with 41 digs (4.10 DIG/S). Anaya Rawlinson earned a team-best 10 blocks (1.00 BLK/S) over the three matches.
Scouting Report
Southern Indiana enters OVC play with a 5-7 record during their non-conference slate. Most recently, the Screaming split a two-match series with Evansville. On the big stage, earlier in the season, USI hosted nationally ranked Indiana, losing in four sets. Southern Indiana is ranked first in two OVC categories: Digs (15.43 AVG/S) and Service Aces (1.89 AVG/S). Offensively, the Screaming Eagles rank third in kills with 12.04 per set and assists with 11.40 per set. Aysa Thomas directs the offense, ranking second in the league with 9.23 assists per set. Ashby Willis is the go-to offensive player, ranking second in the OVC with 3.87 kills per set. Willis ranks first in points with 210.5 (4.48 AVG/S). USI is led by Head Coach Jeffery Aucoin, who is in his fourth year at the helm.
These two programs have met just eight times, with the all-time record knotted at 4-4. Last season, Southern Indiana swept the season series in Evansville, Indiana, winning 3-0 in both matches.
Looking Ahead: EIU will head to St. Charles, Missouri, to face Lindenwood on October 2nd at 6 PM and October 3rd at 2 PM.
