Eliza Zwettler said it with a straight-face, no-nonsense approach.

“Tuesday we should win in three,” she said. “There is no reason we should not win in three.”

The senior outside hitter from Madison, Wis., was sincere with her words as she stood outside Lantz Arena after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Morehead State with an ice pack taped to her right shoulder.

Zwettler was talking about today’s rematch against Tennessee-Martin. The Panthers lost to UT-Martin on Sept. 21 at home in five games. Eastern plays the Skyhawks at 7 p.m. today in Martin, Tenn.

Zwettler said Eastern gave away the match to the Skyhawks.

Eastern head coach Lori Bennett said the same thing about the last meeting between the two teams after the loss to the Eagles.

Bennett, like the other Panthers, is looking for a different outcome this time.

“Our squad is playing at a much higher level now and we look forward to facing them again,” she said. “We will get better from here.”

Bennett said she thinks they will play a better game and said they have to eliminate their mistakes.

Skyhawks head coach Amy Draper said correcting mistakes in the game will be the deciding factor.

“Both teams played recently and both will be looking to correct things they didn’t execute in the first match,” Draper said.

Draper said she expects the match to be close again and feels they can win again. She said their practice has been efficient, as they have tried hard to correct their errors and become better at executing plays.

But the Skyhawks’ coach still thinks Eastern poses a threat.

“I think they have a strong offense,” Draper said. “For us to win, we have to play strong defense. I think our outsides and middles will do well, especially Kathryn Sprague and Sarah Jett.”

It was the same two senior middle blockers who caused the Panthers in the last match. Jett finished the last match with 12 kills and helped assist 10 of UTM’s 13 team blocks. Sprague had 13 kills on the night.

Sprague recently set a school record Sept. 13 against Ohio Valley Conference opponent Samford for blocks as she hit her No. 465. She has been averaging 1.38 blocks a game. Sprague was also named the OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week this week. She leads the OVC with a .396 hitting percentage.

The Panthers have also put up some impressive numbers. Zwettler has 24 career double-doubles, 10 this season. Eastern sophomore libero Shaina Boylan had 36 digs this past weekend.

UT-Martin currently has a three-match winning streak against Eastern, but the Panthers lead the all-time series 17-8.

UT-Martin won their lone OVC win against the Panthers. The Skyhawks currently are ranked ninth in the OVC standings at 1-5, 7-9 overall – which is one spot ahead of the Panthers at 1-6 OVC, 8-8 overall.

The Panthers will continue their four-match road trip at 7 p.m. Friday at OVC opponent Austin Peay.