Eastern Illinois suffered a setback against Long Beach State 3-0 at the BYU/Utah Nike Invitational. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 1-4 (0-0 OVC), while Long Beach State improves to 1-2 (0-0 Big West).
The Panthers offense went cold through the first two sets, finishing with a .033% and .108, hindering EIU from finding their rhythm. Long Beach State outpaced the Panthers in kills 50-29.
Eastern Illinois found a spark to build off in the third set, finishing with a 0.276% hitting percentage and 11 kills. The Panthers also limited their errors to just three in the set.
EIU held a slim 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout but was unable to contain Long Beach State's high-powered offense. EIU fell 25-21, closing out the match in three sets.
By The Numbers:
EIU: 96 Attacks, 29 Kills, .135 Hit%, 6 Aces, 21 Digs, 2 Blocks
Long Beach State: 92 Attacks, 50 Kills, .402 Hit%, 6 Aces, 38 Digs, 5 Blocks
Katie Kopshever led the Panthers with 10 kills, followed by Abana Teran, finishing with 4 total kills. Alanys Nieves directed the offense with 16 assists.
Up Next: EIU will conclude their Utah road trip against Wyoming on Saturday with the first serve set for 1:00 PM CT.
