Box Score

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Two of the four sets were decided by two points but Eastern Kentucky University won both of them on its way to a 3-1 victory over Eastern Illinois University in an Ohio Valley Conference volleyball match on Friday night. 

EKU won by scores of 28-26, 25-23, 19-25 and 25-21.  The Colonels won their second straight match to improve to 3-2 in league play and 8-8 overall.  The Panthers fell to 2-4 in OVC matches and 4-12 overall.

Eastern Illinois won nearly every statistical category.  EIU finished with 10 more kills, nine more assists, 12 more digs and out-hit EKU .180 to .146.  However, the Colonels had a 10-6 advantage in blocks, made five fewer errors and finished with three more aces.

Freshman Hannah Burkle led Eastern Kentucky with 14 kills.  Ashley Edmond and Alexis Plagens added 10 each.  Edmond also had 14 digs and four blocks.  Sophomore Marissa Tashenberg finished with a match-best eight blocks to go along with five kills and a .444 attack percentage.

EIU was led by Emily Franklin and Reynae Hutchinson with 18 and 17 kills respectively. 

After tying the first set 21-21 on a kill by Tashenberg and taking a 22-21 lead on a kill by Edmond, EKU did not trail again in the set, but it was tied five times.  After a Colonel error tied the set for the final time, 26-26, EIU committed back-to-back errors to hand EKU a 1-0 lead.

A kill by Plagens late in the second set gave the Colonels a 24-22 lead.  Moments later a kill by Edmond ended the set, 25-23, and put Eastern Kentucky on top 2-0.  The Panthers jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set and never trailed on their way to a 25-19 victory.

Eastern Illinois jumped out in front 4-1 in the fourth set, but EKU scored three straight to stay in the game.  A kill by Burkle gave the Colonels a four-point advantage, 18-14.  The Panthers closed to within one, 22-21, before Eastern Kentucky scored the final three points to win the set and the match.

The Colonels will play at Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Saturday at 4 p.m.