Eastern Illinois University will travel to Clarksville, Tennessee, for the Austin Peay Tournament on April 10 and 11, where the Panthers are set to play four matches at the Atkins Family Beach Volleyball Facility.
The tournament is an important opportunity for Eastern Illinois (2-8, 1-5 Ohio Valley Conference) as it marks their final non-conference competition before heading into the remainder of their season. The team will face Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay on Friday, followed by Southwest Baptist and Missouri State on Saturday.
In their most recent outing, Eastern Illinois lost its only home match of the season against Lindenwood University with a score of 4-1. Ariadna Pereles and Alanys Nieves were the sole pair to secure a win for EIU during that match. Other pairs competed closely but ultimately fell short in their respective contests.
Pereles and Nieves have emerged as consistent performers this season, winning back-to-back matches against both Tennessee Tech and Lindenwood. They also secured a victory in the opening weekend against Morehead State, winning each time by a score of 2-0.
The expected lineup includes Pereles/Nieves; Lilli Amettis/Sylvia Hasz; Laura Paniagua/Giorgia Cappelletti; Katie Kopshever/Anaya Rawlinson; and Tori Mohesky/Emma Schroeder. The team will face opponents with varied records: Tennessee Tech stands at 3-20 overall but leads EIU in all-time meetings; Austin Peay holds an 11-16 record with past victories over Morehead State and Tennessee Tech; Southwest Baptist is currently at 4-14 but won its last meeting with EIU earlier this year; Missouri State boasts a strong record of 17-2 including two wins over EIU since February.
Senior Sylvia Hasz was named an Ohio Valley Conference player to watch for the season after making notable contributions during both beach and indoor volleyball campaigns. Results from each match at the tournament will be available following completion.