The Eastern women’s tennis squad finally hosted its first home match of the season, as it welcomed Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Because of the weather conditions in Charleston, the Panthers are forced to schedule their first half of the season on the road.

As the players have to travel into hostile environments match after match, it can take its toll on them.

Eastern head coach John Blackburn felt like it was a well-deserved change of pace to get the crowd behind them for once.

“We played at Ball State, and they had a big crowd that was against us, and it was nice to have it the other way around today,” Blackburn said.

The crowd can be a large factor in the mindsets of the players, and the Panthers really enjoyed the chance to play in front of their home crowd.

Freshman Kristen Laird’s play, like other Panthers, seemed to feed off the crowd.

“We had the crowd behind us all match,” Laird said.

“It was just fun to play in a home atmosphere.”

Playing on their home courts, in front of their home crowd gave the Panthers advantages over their opponent.

The players are more familiar with how the courts play, which gives the team the upper hand.

“Home crowd, home surface, every tennis facility plays different, and familiarity was a big plus today,” Blackburn said.

Yesterday also marked the first outdoor match of the season for the women’s team.

Playing outside is a whole different game than playing inside. It presents a new handful of challenges.

Sophomore Shannon Brooks noticed differences on the outdoor court.

“It was definitely different than inside,” Brooks said.

“The ball was slower and you have to move your feet a lot more but we adjusted well enough to get the win.”

Blackburn said he thought his team played well in its first outdoor match, but he said they still need to adjust.

“We did a decent job, but we still have some adjusting to do for playing outside,” Blackburn said. “Like being more aggressive when the ball is slower.”

Dane Urban can be reached

at 581-7944 or