Eastern Illinois set a program record for blocks in a four-set match, beating Southeast Missouri State 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22) to move on to the final of the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championships tomorrow.
The Panthers (23-7, 15-3) had 19 total blocks on the night, breaking the previous program record for the most blocks in a four-set match with 18 against Murray State in 2012.
Senior middle blocker Emma Schroeder played a huge role in the 19 blocks the team had on the night. Schroeder had a solo block while also recording eight block assists. She also showed up big on offense with 11 kills.
“I think she was a little [angry] that she was not included in the all-conference team,” head coach Ryan Millar said. “Her performance tonight was super electric.”
Schroeder matched her career high of nine total blocks in the game, a record she set against the same team in a matchup earlier this season.
Sophomore middle blocker Anaya Rawlinson, who had nine block assists in the match, was excited to hear about the block record.
“That really excites me and fires me up to go get more blocks tomorrow and just finish out the conference tournament,” Rawlinson said.
Rawlinson and Schroeder weren’t the only players who made this kind of impact on defense tonight. Sophomore outside hitter Destiny Walker had a solo block and seven block assists while senior setter Catalina Rochaix set a new career high of six total blocks with her six block assists.
Walker didn’t just show up huge with blocking tonight, she also had a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs to help with the win.
Even after her standout game to survive and advance in the tournament, she knows the team has to stay focused on the match tomorrow.
“I’m feeling very good. I’m feeling very excited,” Walker said. “The job is not done like the coach said. We [can] get excited for a little bit for today but then we have to go after it tomorrow.”
The Panthers will play in the championship game against 2-seed Morehead State, a team they took down twice earlier this month to take over as the number one ranked team in the conference.
Morehead State got to the championship after taking out the 3-seed Southern Indiana in four sets today. Eastern Illinois was unable to beat Southern Indiana during the regular season, as they got swept in consecutive matches.
“It’s not gonna be easy for anyone,” Millar said. “But I can tell you it’s gonna be some really, really good volleyball.”
The championship match will be played at Gardella Family Court tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Aaron Coffin can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]
