After winning a close first set, EIU volleyball cruised by Morehead State 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-12) to move into a tie for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference Thursday evening at the Gardella Family Court.
The Panthers (19-6, 13-2) extended their winning streak to 11 and their record at home to 8-0.
Eastern finished the game with an 11-4 run which ended with a kill that electrified a crowded arena by sophomore outside hitter Destiny Walker.
Walker ended the match with a match-high 17 kills while also recording three aces and two digs.
Three other players who made a huge impact on this game were senior setter Catalina Rochaix, sophomore hitter Katie Kopshever, and senior hitter Lilli Amettis.
Rochaix had a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs, Kopshever had 14 kills and five digs and Amettis had 7 kills along with crucial blocks throughout the game.
Eastern came out of the gates full of energy. The first set was a tight battle which consisted of 18 ties and 12 lead changes, but Morehead State (19-7, 13-2) wasn’t able to contain the Panthers’ energy in the second and third sets.
“Kudos to the girls because of how well they executed tonight,” said head coach Ryan Millar. “It’s nice not to come in here and have a long drawn out 5 setter and then come back in a couple hours and go do it again.”
This energy came in a large part from the crowd. Every single positive play for the Panthers was accompanied by loud celebration and screaming from the stands. With more fans in the stands than in previous games, the arena was energetic.
“McAfee is super awesome,” Kopshever said. “Especially when we have all the people like we did today.”
While the team was happy to take the first game of the series, the Panthers realize just how important tomorrow’s game is for them as well.
If they are able to win tomorrow, the Panthers would move one game ahead of Morehead State and would just need one win from the final two games against Tennessee Tech to win the regular season OVC title and earn the right to host the postseason tournament.
“This next game will determine who hosts the tournament,” said Amettis. “We want to have it at home; that’s a big advantage. I think tomorrow we just got to come in with the mentality of jobs not done.”
Eastern expects Morehead State to adjust ahead of tomorrow’s game and are anticipating a closer game on Friday.
“They are definitely going to come back and play better tomorrow,” said Millar. “We got to stay locked in, same energy, same execution, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Game two will be senior night played tomorrow at Gardella Family Court at 4 p.m.
Aaron Coffin can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]
