2023-10-22 04:06:43
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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech went the distance again on Saturday night, with the Panthers again prevailing 3-2. The win brings Eastern’s OVC record to 9-1 and their overall record to 19-2. The final set scores of the match were as follows: 25-19, 25-19, 26-28, 23-25, 15-9.
The opening set was neck-and-neck halfway through, but the Panthers outscored the Golden Eagles 13-6 down the stretch to take the 1-0 lead. Giovana Larregui López and Natalie Mitchem picked up right where they left off on Friday, recording five kills each in the set. Meanwhile, Catalina Rochaix got things started with 15 assists.
The Panthers controlled the second set, going ahead 5-4 early and never relinquishing their lead. EIU had four service aces in the set, with Masyn Navarro, Catalina Rochaix, Sylvia Hasz, and Laura Paniagua contributing one each. Larregui López again led the Eastern attack with four kills.
In set three it looked like EIU was poised to complete the sweep as they worked their way to a commanding 15-8 advantage. However, Tennessee Tech refused to go down without a fight, and rallied to force a fourth set. Despite the result, Giovana Larregui López had another nice set for the Panthers as she racked up eight kills and a service ace.
In set four the roles were reversed, with Eastern rallying back from a five-point deficit to take a 22-21 lead late. Tech refused to be denied, though, and closed out the set on a 4-1 run to push the match to a fifth set. Larregui López kept things rolling with six kills in the set.
In the deciding set, EIU led the entire way. The Panthers built a comfortable 9-3 lead and snuffed out any Golden Eagle rally attempts to secure the hard fought 3-2 victory. Five Panthers recorded kills in the set, led by Larregui López with three.
Giovana Larregui López had another huge night for the Panthers. The senior finished the match with 26 kills (5.2 KPS) on a .317 hitting percentage. She also recorded 13 digs to secure her second consecutive double-double performance.
Kaitlyn Flynn and Natalie Mitchem were also in double-digit kills with 12 and 11, respectively.
Julia Stanev also had a strong outing with seven kills and seven blocks. Kate Dean recorded seven kills as well.
Catalina Rochaix matched her Friday night performance with 58 assists for an average of 11.6 assists per set. She added 13 digs to make it a double-double, her sixth of the season.
The Panthers combined for seven service aces on the night, led by freshman Masyn Navarro with three.
Christina Martinez Mundo held things down on defense with a team-high 21 digs (4.3 DPS).
EIU will return home next weekend for two pivotal matchups against Southeast Missouri. The action is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 27th inside Lantz Arena. The teams will then square off again on Saturday, the 28th at 4 p.m.
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