CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois Head Coach Matt Bollant has announced the addition of three players for next year's Panthers women's basketball team. Said to join EIU for the 2018-19 season are Abby Wahl, Kira Arthofer, and Jordyn Hughes.
 
"This group has a chance to do some great things at EIU and I love how driven and tough they are. All three of them are near straight A students and are achieving on and off the court."
 
Abby Wahl
Wahl is forward/center from Lincoln City, Ind. She currently plays for head coach Kim Brown at Heritage Hills High School. Wahl averaged 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and .8 blocks per game in 2016-17 as a junior. Wahl was named as a high-honorable mention for the All-Indiana State Team for 2016-17.

"Abby came to our camp and did extremely well, competed really hard and showed a willingness to work in every asset of the game. She is a really good rebounder and as a post player loves to be physical. She also has a great shooting stroke and could develop into a really great 3 point shooter. I love the fact that she is a great volleyball player as well. Abby played for Indiana Swish Elite and her AAU coach spoke extremely highly of her."




Kira Arthofer
Arthofer is a point guard from Pleasant Valley, Iowa. She currently plays for head coach Jennifer Goetz at Pleasant Valley High School. Arthofer suffered an ACL injury and was sidelined for her junior season. Through her freshman and sophomore years, Arthofer recorded 545 total points. As a sophomore, Arthofer averaged 12 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 4.3 steals per game. She was named as an honorable mention for the Quad City Times All-Metro 2015-16 team as a sophomore.

"[Arthofer is] a peer point guard who has really good intangibles as a leader. She was being recruited by several Big 10 schools when she tore her ACL, and I feel like we have definitely found a diamond in the rough. She is a really good sprinter in track, and I love the fact that she is willing to compete on every possession. She played for arguably the top AAU program in the country, All Iowa Attack, and her coaches absolutely raved about her."



Jordyn Hughes
Jordyn Hughes is a guard from Gurnee, Ill. She currently plays for head coach John Stanczykiewicz at Warren Township High School. Hughes averaged 15.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game as a junior. She is a three-time All-Area selection and All-North Suburban Conference selection. Hughes scored her 1,000^th career point last season and advanced downstate for the Three-Point Showdown.

"First time I watched Jordyn I loved how hard she played and how much energy she brought to the floor. She is extremely driven on and off the court, and you can tell she has worked at her game because she is one of the best three point shooters in the Midwest. She has proven to me that she is coachable and wants to get better. She played for an outstanding Illinois Lady Lightning program and every one of her teammates got scholarship offers. At times I felt she was the best player on her team. Her high school and AAU coaches spoke highly of her as a player and as a teammate."
 
The Panthers will open the 2017-18 regular season at home this Friday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. vs. Northern Illinois.