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FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The Eastern Illinois volleyball squad opened up the 2009 season on Friday morning in impressive fashion, downing Kent State in a four set affair (19-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-21) in the first match of the IPFW Invitational. It was the season opener for both squads.
Three Panthers finished with double-digit kill totals, with juniors
Alex Zwettler and
Kelsey Orr each picking up a double-double performance behind 12 kills and 13 digs for Zwettler and 10 kills and 12 digs for Orr. That marks the 23rd and 12th duo-duo for both outside hitters, respectively.
Senior outside hitter
Jessica Wheeler also connected on 10 kills of her own, while Orr led all attacks with a .259 mark.
Sophomore middle
Melanie Boykins finished with eight kills and led the service game behind two aces. Defensively freshman middle
Stephanie Arnold was a force at the net, earning five assisted blocks as the Panthers out-blocked KSU, 9.0 to 7.5. Wheeler also added three assisted blocks of her own.
Junior transfer
Kylie Cavanah ran the offense as the starting setter, earning 42 assists while also tallying 14 digs to lead all Panthers.
Team-wise, EIU out-hit (.194 to .114) the Golden Flashes behind a 46 to 43 kill advantage. The Panthers also out-dug KSU, 56 to 48, but lost the serving contest as KSU had seven aces to four for EIU.
Leading the KSU attack was freshman Meredith Paskert and sophomore standout Liva Brivuls, who each finished with 14 kills each. The Panthers held Brivuls to a negative -.039 attack, however.
With the win, the Panthers extend their lead in the all-time series with the Golden Flashes, 4-1.
In the opening frame, EIU got off to a rocky start down early at 5-0, but consecutive kills by Boykins, Orr and Zwettler helped pull the Panthers to within 9-5. Yet EIU needed to call its first timeout down 12-5. After a KSU service error, the Panthers cut the deficit in half, but a kill and ace by the Golden Flashes helped extend their lead to 14-6. Anoher Orr kill and a KSU error moved EIU to within 16-10. The Panthers then scored three straight points, first off a Wheeler kill on the right side, followed by two KSU errors, forcing the Golden Flashes to call timeout up just 17-13. EIU pulled to within 22-18, but KSU had set-point at 24-18, but Wheeler’s off-speed tap got past the Golden Flashes. Unfortunately KSU was able to hold on, winning the first set, 25-19. KSU out-hit EIU .138 to .094, yet blocks were even at two apiece, while Kent had three aces to zero for the Panthers.
Two key blocks by Arnold, along with Wheeler, helped EIU take an early 3-0 lead to open set two. But KSU responded with two straight before an untimely service error gave EIU the ball back. The Panthers took advantage, extending their lead to 8-4 off a huge kill by Orr on the left-side, followed by an ace by Boykins that would help EIU eventually double-up KSU, 10-5. Wheeler would eventually connect on a blistering right-side attack to extend the Panther lead to 13-8, forcing KSU to call a timeout. KSU responded with three straight points but EIU upped the lead 17-11 off consecutive kills by Orr on the left-side, which would require another Golden Flash timeout. Kills by Wheeler and Boykins helped up the Panther lead to 19-11, prior to a Boykins kill off a KSU double-block that helped EIU end two straight points by the Ohio squad. Two kills by Zwettler, as well as several untimely KSU errors, would help propel the Panthers to the second set 25-15 win. EIU dominated the hitting game in that set, with a sizeable .444 to .083 attack advantage, as Boykins, Orr and Wheeler each registering four kills apiece
Both squads played side-out ball following the match break, before KSU took an early 7-5 lead, extending it to 11-6 before a kill by Zwettler and KSU attack error helped EIU pull to within 11-8. Another Zwettler kill and KSU blocking error pulled the Panthers to within 12-10. KSU maintained a two-point lead until two KSU errors evened the score at 17-all, requiring a Golden Flash timeout. Zwettler and Arnold connected on two key blocks of KSU’s top player and Latvian native, Liva Brivule, to give the Panthers a 19-17, forcing KSU to call their final timeout of the set. A blooper kill by the Golden Flashes helped end the Panther momentum at first, but Arnold buried a kill from the middle as EIU got to the 20th point first. Following a couple of sideouts, and with EIU leading 21-20, the Panthers called their first timeout. EIU would then respond via two kills from the middle from Arnold and Boykins to lead 23-21. An untimely service error pulled KSU to within 23-22, but a perfectly played slide attack from Boykins gave the Panthers their first set point at 24-22. KSU would respond with a block of Zwettler, but a service error by KSU helped EIU win the all-important third set, 25-23 and lead 2-1 in the match.
The fourth set began pretty much like the third, with both sides playing point-for-point, but a shot off the block by Orr and a KSU error helped the Panthers take the early 5-2 lead. KSU would go on a 5-0 run to tie the score at 7-7 before a ball handling error helped EIU get the ball back. A KSU back row attack error along with a service ace by Orr helped EIU rebound to lead 10-7. But the Golden Flashes would continue to put the pressure on the Panthers pulling to within 10-9 before a Zwettler kill off the block helped move EIU to 11-9. A slide attack by Arnold, two KSU errors by Brivule and an ace by Cavanah helped the Panthers extend the lead to 15-10, forcing a Kent State timeout. A kill off the block by Wheeler moved EIU to 17-10, but KSU would respond with three straight to move within 17-13. Two consecutive KSU miscues helped EIU extend their lead to 19-13, but the Panthers would commit three errors of their own to require a timeout up just 19-16. EIU would recover and lead 21-16 due to a key block by Orr and Arnold and a KSU hitting error. But once again the Golden Flashes would take two straight points before a kill by EIU’s Boykins would give EIU the ball up 22-18. KSU would connect on a kill but proceed to hit the next serve straight into the net forcing the visitors on the scoreboard to call timeout with EIU up 23-19. KSU would respond with two straight points but a key stuff of KSU’s Brivule by Zwettler and Boykins, along with a KSU error, would eventually give the Panthers the win, 25-21.
The Panthers continue play in the five-squad tournament this afternoon, facing the host IPFW Mastodons at 2 pm (CST).
… for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID