Eastern Illinois volleyball turns its attention to Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend when it hosts Lindenwood in a two-match series at Gardella Family Court at McAfee Gym.

The Panthers (6-4) hold the highest winning percentage in the OVC at .600.

The weekend marks more than just the beginning of conference play, it will also be the program’s first matches inside its newly renovated home court.

During their non-conference road stretch, the Panthers recorded notable wins over Kansas
City and New Mexico State before securing a five-set victory at Southern Illinois.

Those results, along with the rest of the preseason slate, were designed to prepare the team for the challenges of OVC play.

Head coach Ryan Millar said the schedule was intentionally built to test his group in
different ways and provide valuable lessons for conference competition.

“There were multiple times even when we wouldn’t have our best match and afterwards my messaging to the girls was this is in essence practice,” Millar said. “The difficult situations that we’re getting put in, the work that we’re putting in, it’s all building towards our ability to
be really good in conference.”

EIU enters OVC play offensively averaging 12.42 kills, 11.53 assists, and 0.82 aces per set,
while defensively recording 16.71 digs and 2.07 blocks per set.

The team’s offense has been led by sophomore outside hitter Katie Kopshever, who said the non-conference slate showed both strengths and areas for improvement.

“We’ve played a lot of really good teams with high levels of competition,” Kopshever said. “I think it’s helped us figure out what areas we’re really good in and what areas we aren’t so good in, so we can really focus on improving those.”

The Panthers also enter conference play with a new leadership structure.

Seniors Catalina Rochaix and Emma Schroeder were named team captains, providing experience and stability as the Panthers enter conference play.

Rochaix has led the team in assists with 290, senior outside hitter Tori Mohesky has contributed 63 kills, 58 digs, 11 service aces, and 8 blocks, while senior outside hitter Lilli Amettis has added 51 kills, 37 digs, and 11 blocks.

Schroeder has contributed 42 kills, and 32 total blocks, providing additional leadership on both offense and defense.

Millar said the captain’s presence has been instrumental in maintaining focus and cohesion as the team transitions to OVC play.

While the volleyball program is also adapting to a new coaching staff, they are also adapting to new changes in the offensive and defensive systems.

Millar was concerned that the team was taking on too much change, but he was later impressed with how quickly the team embraced the adjustments.

“We’ve really uprooted every process and system that they’ve ever done and instituted completely new ways of playing volleyball,” Millar said. “To their credit, they’ve latched on to everything that we’ve tried to introduce and experiment with. Everyone was on board
from day one.”

Sophomore libero Ariadna Pereles said the early-season schedule forced the team to improve its consistency.

“Playing those big teams in the non-conference really pushed us to be more disciplined in small details we used to ignore, and we’ve been able to take what we learned in those matches and apply it to how we train every day,” Pereles said. “Our consistency and
confidence have really improved too, which is going to keep helping us throughout the conference.”

Pereles has been a key part of the Panthers’ defensive effort, leading the team with 16.71 digs per set and contributing 2.07 blocks per set.

Lindenwood enters conference play with a 4–4 overall record. The Lions concluded their non-conference schedule with a 3–0 loss to Iowa this past weekend.

Offensively, Lindenwood has averaged 12.7 kills per set with a .286 hitting percentage, and defensively, they have recorded 734 digs, and 63 solo blocks.

For Eastern the team goals remain clear. Millar said the Panthers talk regularly about what he calls their “desired outcomes”, competing for an OVC championship and earning team academic honors.

“We just have to bring it every night. It’s a long season and it’s grueling, but that’s what you do in the preseason, build the strength and fortitude so that you can endure the season,” Millar said. “When it comes match time, they’re going to feel like they’re at their best to go
out there and produce the results we’re looking for.”

Friday’s game is set for a 6 p.m. start, with Saturday’s game set for a 4 p.m. start.

Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].