Boxscore - PDF | Boxscore - HTML
DALLAS, Texas – Lauren Sopcic, Eliza Zwettler and Alex Zwettler each hit in double-figures as the Eastern Illinois volleyball squad cruised past McNeese State (30-17, 30-19, 30-21) in the opening match of the SMU Invitational late Friday afternoon.
Sopcic led the Panther attack with 13 kills, on only 17 swings and zero errors, to record a blisting .765 hitting percentage. That performance lands the junior middle hitter a seventh place ranking in the EIU record book for top single-match hitting percentages.
The sister duo of Eliza and Alex Zwettler posted 12 kills apiece, while combining for nearly half the total EIU attack numbers on the evening (52 out of 106). Preseason First Team All-OVC pick and older sister, Eliza, recorded her first double-double as a senior, by adding 12 digs in the match. The other Zwettler, freshman Alex, ended up one dig shy of having her own double-double, as she was credited with nine digs of her own.
Sophomore libero, Shaina Boylan, led all Panthers defensively with 13 digs and joined freshman Kelsey Orr for top serving honors as each tallied two aces apiece.
The Panther squad had the honor of being the first EIU team to officially open the 2007-08 athletic season, and firing on all cylinders, hit an amazing .618 as a team in game one with 21 kills and no errors. The Panthers (53) tallied nearly twice as many kills as McNeese State (28) in the sweep and overall out-hit the Cowgirls, .425 to .135 in the match. With the win, EIU evens the all-time series between the two schools, 1-1.
The Panthers will play twice on the tournament’s final day on Saturday. Eastern will square off with Western Carolina at 11 a.m. and then face the host Mustangs in the tournament finale at 7 p.m. It will be EIU's first-ever meeting with both those squads.
For more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID