The Panthers volleyball team will take on Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee-Martin.

The Panthers have played the Skyhawks once already this season, beating them in four sets in Martin, Tenn.

The Panthers are riding a streak in which they have won four of their last five matches. This should give the Panthers a boost of confidence going into the rest of their OVC schedule said senior outside hitter Erin Hake.

“We feel really well,” Hake said. “It’s definitely a confidence builder (to win four matches out of the Panthers’ last five).”

Senior outside hitter Kelsey Orr said the Panthers are excited about playing their best volleyball at this point in the season.

“I think the overall feeling is really good,” she said. “It’s great to hit a peak at this point in the season.”

The Panthers are coming off a big win on the road, sweeping OVC rival Southeast Missouri State last Friday.

The Panthers need to keep their focus on the match at hand and not dwell on the victory, said junior setter Chrissie Albers.

“This is a completely different game,” Albers said, “We’re going to take that momentum into this game, but (the team still needs to) start fresh.”

Tonight’s match against Tennessee- Martin is the second time that the Panthers will play an opponent for the second time this year. The first came against Murray State.

The Panthers beat the Racers at Lantz Arena on Sept. 28 before losing in straight sets to them in Murray, Tenn. on Oct. 16.

In spite of this, the Panthers aren’t really altering their pre-game preparation, Albers said.

“That (the second match against Murray State) was just a bad game,” Albers said. “We’re ready to play now, we’ve had a good couple days of practice, and we’re just ready to come back on our home court and play well.”

Hake said the Panthers are just focusing on improving and not thinking so much about past results.

“I feel like we’ve been having better practices, that’s for sure,” Hake said. “I think we’re just maintaining what we’re doing really well at, and then we’re trying to fix the little things. I think everything’s just improving all around.”

Orr also echoed the sentiment, saying that the Panthers just continue to grow as a team throughout the rest of the season.

“Every game is a learning experience,” Orr said. “I think the best part about our team is that we are learning, we’re advancing, we’re producing more and more, and that’s a great thing.”

The Panthers’ next match is against OVC foe Tennessee-Martin tonight at Lantz Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or at bmkupiec@eiu.edu

Senior outside hitter Erin Hake serves the ball against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 10 in Lantz Arena. (Jordan Boner

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