With 23 matches down and nine more remaining, it would be safe to compare the first two months of the season to a rollercoaster ride.

The Panthers have experienced many ups and downs in those 23 matches, but for a team with eight underclassmen and just one senior on the roster, twists and turns can be expected.

The year started quickly with the Panthers winning the first two matches in their host tournament (Pepsi/Super 8 Invitational) in late August. Eastern downed Western Illinois and Evansville losing just one game in two matches before dropping the finale against Drake.

Junior outside hitter Erica Gerth and sophomore Megan Kennedy were both named to the all-tournament team. Gerth recorded double-digit kills in the first two matches of the season and Kennedy chimed in with 14 kills against Western Illinois to go along with a .250 hitting percentage.

After a home loss to St. Louis on Sept. 2, Eastern was back in action traveling to Peoria for the Mark Twain Hotels Invitational. The Panthers won their first match against Maryland-Baltimore County but were swept in the last two matches by Bradley and Bowling Green State. The Panthers finished in third-place in the four-team tournament and Gerth once again took home all-tournament honors.

Unfortunately, the loss to Bradley started a downward effect for the Panthers. Eastern would drop eight more matches after the defeat by the Braves and enter conference play with only three wins under their belt.

During the nine-game stretch, Eastern had its fair share of close games. While playing in-state rival Illinois State, the Panthers were bested by the Redbirds in five tough games. After losing the first game 30-15, Eastern won two of the next three before dropping the fifth game and the match 15-12. Gerth had another solid match with 22 kills and freshman outside hitter Mary Welch had one of her better games to date with 19 kills, six defensive digs and a hitting percentage of .250.

Another tough five-game loss occurred one week later against Air Force Academy at the Hilton Garden Inn/Viking Classic. Eastern lost the first two matches in the tournament against host Portland State and the undefeated San Francisco Dons before pushing the Falcons to the limit.

The Panthers won the first game 30-14, but followed that game with two straight losses. Facing elimination in the fourth game, the Panthers pulled out a 30-28 winner, but fell in the fifth game 16-14.

Gerth and Kennedy compared for 41 kills in the match and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Niedospial had 12 kills, three service aces and a hitting percentage near .300.

The Panthers would end their nine-match losing streak on Sept. 27 against Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay at Lantz Arena. The four game win was a historic night for the Panthers as Gerth broke the record for digs in a single game with 39. The El Paso, native had 19 digs alone in game three and broke the previous record of 36 held by Niedospial. Besides the dig record, Gerth also had season-high 24 kills in the victory.

The Panthers later racked up two more wins in the conference to be in a tie for second-place at 3-1. In a game at Lantz Arena against Southeast Missouri State on Oct. 1, Gerth recorded her 1,000 career kill in game two against SEMO. Gerth finished with a match-high 23 kills and 17 digs for Eastern.

“Erica has had a great season,” Panthers head coach Brenda Winkeler said. “She’s in the top 10 in our conference in both kills and digs this year.”

After a win against Tennessee State in following match Eastern has struggled of late losing six consecutive matches. Four of those six matches have come against OVC foes and the Panthers at 3-5 have fallen to seventh-place in the 11-team conference.

Winkeler said if a few breaks had come their way, the Panthers it would be a completely different season record wise.

“We’ve lost five matches in the fifth-game and all of those games could have gone either way,” Winkeler said. “It was my expectation to be in the top three in the conference and that was a realistic goal had there been a difference of a few points in certain matches.”

Despite losing many heartbreaking matches, Winkeler is primed for a good second half to finish the season and get ready for the OVC tournament in late November.

“I want to go out and win some ball games,” Winkeler said. “We’re at home for the two of the top teams in the conference (Murray State and Eastern Kentucky) so we need to go out and play well.”

Coming home to large crowd on homecoming weekend could be just what the Panthers need. Eastern will square off with Murray State on Friday night and Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.

The Racers just had their 14-match winning streak snapped against SEMO, but still are the OVC’s top team at 14-5 overall and 8-1 in the OVC. Shyhawks of Tennessee-Martin are the 2001 and 2002 OVC volleyball champions but have struggled this year with a 4-19 record and 2-6 in the OVC. However, the Skyhawks should not be taking lightly as they pushed Eastern Kentucky to five games before losing the tight match.

Even though a pair of solid teams are coming to Charleston, Winkeler is glad to be back home.

“It’s definitely good to be home,” Winkeler said. “I was talking to (middle hitter) Shanna Ruxer and we haven’t won a lot of games on the road this year. But we’re a good team in blocking and digs and if we can get our offense going we should be able to do well.”