Panthers go 0-2 on final road trip

Adam Tumino, Volleyball Reporter

Adam Tumino | The Daily Eastern News
Kylie Michael slams a spike down as two opposing blockers try to stop it. Eastern defeated Tennessee Tech 3-2 Oct. 18 at Lantz Arena for its first conference win.

The Eastern volleyball team faced a pair of familiar foes on its final road trip of the season, playing rematches against Austin Peay and Murray State.

The Panthers hosted these two teams on Sept. 27 and 28 during the first weekend of the conference season. Eastern is 0-4 against the Governors and Racers this season.

Against Austin Peay on Nov. 1, the Panthers scored more than 20 points in every set except the first, which they lost 25-18. Unlike the first matchup, Eastern won a set against the Governors, taking the third set 25-20.

Eastern head coach Julie Allen said that she thinks sophomore Hannah Sieg’s performance in the match was a factor in the closely played match.

“It was really fun to watch her put it all together,” Allen said. “Not only is she a blocking force for us, but now she is an attacking option even more.”

Sieg led the team with four total blocks in the match, and again with five Saturday against Murray State. She also moved into the top-10 in the conference in blocks per set, ranking ninth with .89 blocks per set.

Allen said she sees similarities between Sieg’s game and that of senior Maggie Runge, who was second the team over the weekend with 14 kills. Runge is currently seventh in the OVC with a hitting percentage of .307 and hit .625 against Murray State.

“It’s great being a new coach and having a strong senior lead not only vocally, but through her commitment to growing her game as well as performing day in and day out in the matches.”

Against Murray State, Eastern had a harder time slowing down Rachel Giustino than it did in the first matchup in September.

Giustino is the OVC leader averaging 5.16 kills per set, which also puts her fourth in the entire NCAA. In the first match against Eastern, Giustino had 15 kills in three sets. This time she recorded 20, nine more than the next-closest player. As a team, the Racers had 51 kills and hit .349.

Allen said that Murray State’s attacking success began with their serving.

“Murray State did a phenomenal job serving aggressively,” Allen said. “Because we weren’t able to put a hard hit on it, (Giustino) was able to do what she wanted. That’s what you saw in the second set, she just went off because we weren’t able to swing as aggressively as we’d like.”

The Panthers will play at home for the rest of the season, beginning Friday with a rematch against Southern Illinois Edwardsville, which beat Eastern in straight sets on Oct. 2.

On Saturday, Tennessee State will come to Lantz Arena for the first and only matchup between the two teams this season.

 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].