The Eastern volleyball team is scheduled to play its last game of the spring season Thursday. The match is the first and only home game slated for the second half of the volleyball season.

Parkland College ended the fall season at 50-3 overall with a perfect conference record. The Cobras were undefeated in all four away games as well. 

Parkland College’s fall season came to an end after the Cobras took fourth place in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II tournament in November. The Cobras dropped a 3-2 decision to Lincoln Land College in the third place game. 

Setter Leah Anderson was the only Cobra to make the All-Tournament team. The Panthers will host Parkland College at 6 p.m. at Lantz Arena.

This spring, the volleyball team also played Northern Illinois, Illinois State and Ohio Valley Conference opponent Southern Illinois-Edwardsvillle. The Panthers are now under direction of head coach Julie Allen, who recently hired new assistant coach Jaqueline Cason.

The Panthers ended the fall season with a two-game stint in the OVC tournament. Eastern managed to beat No. 2 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in round one of the tournament (3-1) but ended up losing to No. 3 Murray State in a 1-3 loss.

The team went into the season without seniors outside Maria Brown and middle Allie Hueston, who served as team leaders in the fall. 

Stepping up as leaders in Hueston and Brown’s place are junior setter Taylor Smith, sophomore libero Anne Hughes and sophomore middle Maggie Runge. The trio has already proven they will be a strong upperclassmen representation.

Smith earned All-Conference first team honors last season for her season-long performance as the team’s top setter. She led the conference with nine triple-doubles, twelve double-doubles and a team-high 324 points.

Hughes led the team in digs with 538 in the fall. She also had the third-most service aces with 26. Runge earned 142 kills and tallied 76 blocks on the season.

Allen said the spring season is a chance to lay out her game plan to a squad that is brand new to her.

“This blue print will be utilized as a guide in all daily decisions. Furthermore, this blue print is a constant work in progress; each student-athlete has the ability to assist in developing a vision, establishing goals for the current and future program,” Allen said of her coaching plan.

Allen added that though the spring season is short, it is a chance for the team to mesh and to get to know her as its new head coach. She said this season is an opportunity for her to work with the team as a whole and players on an individual basis.

Kaitlin Cordes can be reached at 581-2812 or krcordes@eiu.edu