As the Eastern volleyball team journeyed south for its weekend matches, the Panthers’ conference record trended in much the same direction, losing 3-0 to both Austin Peay and Murray State.

Although the Panthers lost, they did gain senior Taylor Smith who, after suffering an ankle sprain injury at the Drake tournament, played for the first time in over a month.

If anything had been ailing Smith over the course of the weekend matches, no one, not even head coach Julie Allen, took notice.

“Her transition was smooth and easy,” Allen said. “Taylor played a strong role in each match, providing senior leadership, drive to compete and passion for the game.”

Smith, according to Allen, was not the only Panther to engender a sense of optimism, however. 

After Austin Peay sophomore Chloe Stitt submitted an error, Eastern junior Katie Sommer batted down the ball for a kill at the end of the third, which, seconds later, compelled the Governors to switch up their personnel on the court. 

This play capped off a 6-0 run, but at that stage of the set, with the Panthers in search of two points to even the score at 24, Stitt won the game for the Governors on what was her only kill of the entire match.

Just as she had the day before, Sommer opened up the offense in set three of the Murray State match. 

Sommer’s two kills and a block advanced Eastern to a 22-21 lead on Murray State.

But Juniors Megan Lindsay and Rachel Guistino, both Murray State outside hitters, licensed the Racers to roll out of Eastern’s 3-0 run, awakening an offense that had laid silent up till then.

“Murray State has very good outside (hitters) who started to really come alive towards the end of each set,” Allen said. “Katie did a great job providing a strong offensive threat this whole weekend. We continue to see growth in her game.”

Smith fed Eastern’s scoring appetite with a team high 19 assists. She set up senior Abby Knight, redshirt freshman Kylie Michael and junior Maggie Runge in the third set, as each of them pitched in a kill to tie the game at 18. 

Prodding Eastern into a .000 attack percentage in the second set, one of its lowest averages to date, Murray State would take full advantage of seven attack errors.

With the losses to Austin Peay and Murray State, the Panthers have now come up short in their last four games. 

For head coach Julie Allen, though, the losses this past weekend resembled ones to nonconference teams earlier this year given that, when presented with what she described as adept opponents, there have been opportunities for either team to come out as victors.

“We have shown great fight and persistence throughout the season,” Allen said. “I am looking forward to continuing the process towards growth as we get better each day. And soon, with the perseverance there will come wins.

Tom O’Connor can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].