It is really easy to just concentrate on all the bad things that happened this weekend for the Panthers volleyball team.

But it would be overlooking the positive things that also happened this weekend.

From the two matches played against Samford and Jacksonville State, Eastern only won one match.

The improved defensive numbers from the past few weeks were at a standstill and unforced errors, an area Eastern had improved upon at the end of games from earlier in the season, returned to haunt the Panthers.

But the spark of competition still remained in the player’s performances.

This weekend was the most diversified weekend it terms of players and playing time; Eastern played everyone on their squad.

And considering some of those players have few actual game minutes, the results could have been worse.

Players like sophomore libero Laura Welsh, freshman outside hitter Erin Hake and sophomore setter Lauren Schutte were players that seen little to no time in the first half of the season, but have gradually had more playing time as the season has come down to the end.

For next season, these playing minutes will be useful as they are building towards next year’s team chemistry.

Head coach Lori Bennett has talked all season about how the young team has had to mature as the season went along, but next season, this should be taken care of through this year’s growing pains.

It was also encouraging to see that though they lost all but one game, they were able to keep the games close for the most part.

In the three of the Panthers seven games this past weekend, the score was more than the “normal” 30 points. In volleyball, a team must be the first to 30 points and win by two points.

In the first two games of the Samford match, the scores were 34-32 and 31-29. In the first match of the JSU match, the score was 35-33.

During all these close matches, Eastern had many opportunities to win the match. Alone in the 34-32 loss to Samford in game one, the Panthers were tied six times when it was 27 all.

Though it is a good thing Eastern was able to stay in the high-scoring matches, the inability to win one of them serves a serious detriment to the team.

After staying close for many of the matches, the effect may lead to a problem with morale.

An example was shown the fourth game of the JSU match when the Panthers only scored 14 points.

That is the most peculiar of stats this weekend as the Panthers main weapon has been its offense all season and how many points were put up in earlier games this weekend.

It seems the most logical explanation as it was frustration that had finally came through in the fourth game.

But it probably will not be a trend Eastern will continue next season, and especially not for the last two matches.

Senior outside hitter Eliza Zwettler is ranked fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference for kills with 418. This season’s hitting percentage is .178, which ranks EIU at ninth in the OVC, but the low ranking is attributed to having 768 hitting errors, the most errors in the league.

Zwettler, who leads the team with kills, will be hard to replace, but if hitting errors are considerably cut down, the offense should stay consistent.