In a record-breaking game, the Eastern Illinois volleyball team took down Morehead State 3-1 on senior night (18-25, 25-14, 25-15, 25-21) Friday evening at Gardella Family Court.
The Panthers (20-6, 14-2) move into first place in the conference with two games to go. Eastern now needs to win one more game to clinch the 1-seed and host the OVC tournament.
The game ended with a powerful kill by senior hitter Lilli Amettis that made the crowd explode.
Amettis stepped up big in a game against Western Illinois earlier in the season in the absence of sophomore hitter Destiny Walker and has seen a major increase in playing time since.
“So grateful to have all the fans and all the students here supporting us,” Amettis said. “The kill was definitely a good one to end on.”
The first set was a hard-fought loss for the Panthers, but the team was able to come back in the next three sets and overwhelm the Eagles with their energy.
The team’s energy was a deciding factor in finishing out this two-game series, and nobody had more energy in the final set than Walker.
Walker finished the game with 17 kills for the third-consecutive match. Ten of those kills came in the final set.
“I was mad, and honestly that’s what it came from,” Walker said. “My team was depending on me, and I had to do what was needed.”
She wasn’t the only player who stepped up when the team needed it. Senior middle blocker Emma Schroeder had seven kills and two momentum building solo blocks that helped finish her senior night.
“I’m probably gonna go home and cry,” Schroeder said. “Not because I’m sad, but just because I feel so overwhelmed. I feel so grateful to be a part of this program.”
Also stepping up was sophomore outside hitter Katie Kopshever. With 14 kills and 10 digs, her double-double was a huge impact for the Panthers
The victory extended the Panthers’ winning streak to 12. It’s the longest winning streak in program history since the rally scoring era began in 2001.
The Panthers also finished undefeated at home this season at 9-0.
This is the first time Eastern has finished undefeated at home since 2013.
The Panthers have two games remaining in the regular season. If they win one match against Tennessee Tech next week, they will host the conference tournament. Two wins would make Eastern outright regular season OVC champions for the second time in three years.
“They would have to come back here and play in the conference tournament,” head coach Ryan Millar said. “Knowing how good we are when we play here, that’s a big deal.”
While the regular season isn’t over, and the Panthers still have a two-game series against Tennessee Tech, this game was crucial towards finishing the season out in first place.
The Panthers will start the two-game series against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday and finish the regular season off on Wednesday.
The first game will begin at 6 p.m. in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Aaron Coffin can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]
