Eastern Illinois University lost both of its opening matches on March 27 to begin the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Panthers now hold a 1-6 overall record.
The team’s performance matters as it sets the tone for the rest of their conference play and could impact their standing in upcoming matches.
In the first match against Morehead State, Ariadna Pereles and Alanys Nieves secured Eastern Illinois’ only win by defeating Morehead State’s fifth pair in straight sets, with scores of 21-17 and a close 24-22 finish. The number one pair, Laura Paniagua and Giorgia Cappelletti, extended their match to three sets but ultimately lost with scores of 21-14, 19-21, and 12-15. Lilli Amettis and Sylvia Hasz also played a three-set match but were unable to clinch victory. Tori Mohesky and Emma Schroeder lost their sets with scores of 21-7 and 21-11. Katie Kopshever and Anaya Rawlinson fell short as well, losing in two sets: 25-23 and 21-14.
In the second match against UT Martin, Eastern Illinois was unable to secure any wins across all five pairs. Four pairs lost in straight sets while Amettis and Hasz again went to three sets before falling short (18-21, 12-21, and 11-15). Other results included Paniagua/Cappelletti (17-21,16-21), Mohesky/Schroeder (19-21,15-21), Kopshever/Rawlinson (13–21,16–21), Pereles/Alana Guibert (13–21,17–21).
Looking ahead, Eastern Illinois will conclude its OVC weekend competition on Saturday with matches against Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech.
