RICHMOND, Ky. - Behind a career-high 23 kills from senior Jessica Sabath, the Eastern Kentucky volleyball team defeated Eastern Illinois 3-1 (31-33, 30-19, 30-23, 30-17) this evening in Alumni Coliseum. The Colonels even their record at 9-9, 2-2 in the OVC while the Panthers remain winless in league play at 0-4 and drop to 5-10 overall.
In addition, Sabath tallied her ninth double-double of the season with a career-best 35 digs. Senior Denise Grundhoefer finished with a career-best 14 kills, her first-ever double-digit kill performance, and junior Brittany Nobilio added a career-high 45 digs.
After hitting a dismal .115 in the first game, the Colonels registered hitting percentages over .250 in the final three games.
Eastern Kentucky trailed throughout the beginning of the first contest, falling behind by as many as six (16-10) before knotting the score at 19 with a kill from sophomore Bridget Mustard. Back-to-back kills from Grundhoefer and Sabath gave the Colonels a two-point edge (26-24) but the Panthers fought back to tie the game at 28. With the score even at 31, Eastern Illinois took the victory with a pair of kills.
In game two, the Colonels built a seven-point lead (13-6) following kills from Sabath and senior Kasha Brozek and an ace from Mustard. Eastern Kentucky took its first double-digit lead of the night (21-11) off a kill from senior Kelly Jennings before coasting to the 30-19 win.
Eastern Kentucky again jumped ahead quickly in game three, holding a 10-4 advantage following three consecutive kills, including a pair from Grundhoefer. The Colonels doubled EIU's score at 16-8 and twice held an eight-point advantage in the 30-23 win.
After a 1-1 tie, the Colonels never trailed in game four, maintaining a substantial lead throughout the duration of the contest. The Panthers cut their deficit to five (16-11) but would get no closer as the Colonels earned their second league win of the season.
Junior Eliza Zwettler led the Panthers with 14 kills and 26 digs while six Panther players tallied double-figure digs on the night.
Eastern Kentucky returns to action on Friday, October 6 when it faces UT Martin at 8:00 p.m.
