After playing one of the best volleyball matches in recent memory, the Panthers will try to overcome the sting of a five-game loss to Illinois-Chicago when the team travels to Samford and Jacksonville State for a pair of Ohio Valley Conference tilts.

The Panthers will head into the weekend looking to snap a four-match losing streak that includes OVC losses to Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech. The Panthers four-match skid is the team’s longest since a nine-match losing streak that ran through most of September.

Samford also enters the match with its own struggles. The Bulldogs (7-12, 1-5 OVC) have lost four of the last five matches and find themselves in 10th place in the 11-team OVC.

Despite Samford’s poor record, the team has its fair share of offensive firepower. Senior Alyssa Whitehead has had two straight matches averaging double digits in kills and has averaged 4.24 kills per game this season. Her hitting percentage of .254 is tops on the team and Whitehead has posted 10 service aces in 63 games.

“Whitehead is a model picture of determination when it comes to putting the ball away,” head coach Kris Dorn said. “Her all-around game make her a prime player.”

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Joining Whitehead on the offensive attack is junior Hilary Gary. The middle backer from Dallas, Texas, is second on the team with 3.41 kills per game. Gary has the third highest hitting percentage at .211 and has played in 73 of the Bulldog’s 75 games.

With impressive statistics and a ringing endorsment from Dorn, Eastern’s head coach Brenda Winkeler knows these are two players the Pantrhers need to key on.

“Number 10 (Whitehead) and number 13 (Gary) are their two best players,” Winkeler said. “Gary is a good middle hitter and we need to stop her to win.”

After the Panthers’ Friday evening match with Samford, Eastern will remain in Alabama for a Saturday matinee against Jacksonville State.

The Gamecocks started off in OVC on a high note but have since dropped their last three conference matches. Jacksonville State is 13-5 overall and have a 3-3 record in the OVC. With the Gamecocks and Panthers, both tied for fourh-place in the OVC, the Saturday match up has major tournament seeding implications.

“There is a whole bunch of us grouped together in the OVC so this is a big road trip,” Winkeler said.

For the Panthers to walk out of Alabama with a win they will need to stop outside/middle hitter Christina Cary. Last season, Cary took over as the team’s leader in kills and blocks, and the Kenwood, Calif., native’s play has stayed hot this year. Cary is averaging just over 3.40 kills this season and is second in total blocks with 42. She is leading the entire OVC in hitting percentage at .397, and her closet competitor is Murray State’s Abbi Gui who is a distant second at .365.

“(Cary) is a big middle hitter at six feet four inches tall,” Winkeler said. “She is tough to defend becuase she hits the ball with a high arc because of her size.”

In order to stop Cary, the Panthers will turn to outdside hitter Kara Sorenson and middle hitter Shanna Ruxer. Sorenson, a freshman from Avon, Ind., had five block assists while Ruxer had one block and 11 block assists, which was the third highest in Eastern history.

After this weekends road trip, the Panthers will return to action for two Homecoming matches against Murray State and Tennessee-Martin starting on Oct. 24.