Panthers End Losing Streak

The 13-game losing streak that haunted the Panthers is no more.

With the shutout victory against Samford Friday night, Eastern snapped its longest losing streak ever.

“We’re doing a better job running our offense,” head coach Lori Bennett said. “We’re a little more consistent, a little more relaxed and things are just starting to come together a little bit.”

The Bulldogs head coach Michelle Durban attributed the loss to the team’s inexperience.

“Once again, our youth showed,” Durban said. “Right now we’re playing with a backup setter. So when things start to get a little tight, then we start to have a little bit of struggle just because somebody can’t get a kill so it becomes a little tense out there.”

The Panthers are now 1-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference and are tied for last place with the Bulldogs and Austin Peay. Eastern plays Austin Peay Friday night at Lantz Arena.

Crabtree Loses Two Streaks

With junior setter Maren Crabtree being taken out Oct. 13 at Tennessee-Martin, one of her streaks was broken.

The next night at Murray State she lost a streak that had been going since her freshman year.

Crabtree had a streak of seven double-doubles in a row, the longest of her career, broken against the Skyhawks. She was just one shy of continuing the streak to an eighth game.

Her other streak of playing 74 consecutive matches ended when freshman setter Lauren Schutte played the entire game against Murray State on Oct 14.

Schutte currently is starting ahead of Crabtree, according to Bennett, due to a higher hitting percentage with her setting.

Zone Explanation

While the court is divided into sides by the net, each side is actually divided into sections itself.

The court is divided into six main zones. Starting at one, from the server’s area, to two, which is directly in front of it. The rest of the numbers then wrap around the court to six, which is in the middle back.

Bennett tells the players where to try to serve and hit it to, either to a zone directly or between two zones.

Primarily, the Panthers serve to zone five and one, and to the five-six seam and one-six seam.

The seams are the places where two zones connect on the court.

“We have a plan at the beginning of every game to who we’re going to serve to or to who we’re going to make move on serve-receive,” Bennett said. “So they get serving zones from me in a match and serve to that zone.