A 9-0 run in the fifth set helped Eastern secure the 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11) win over Little Rock Friday evening in Groniger Arena.

Junior outside/opposite hitter Tori Mohesky recorded two back-to-back service aces to put the Panthers up by five points in the fifth set.

Freshman outside/opposite hitter Destiny Walker recorded a kill of her own to close out the 9-0 run, putting Eastern ahead of Little Rock 12-6.

Little Rock tried to come back with a 5-2 run of their own, but a kill by Walker sealed the win for Eastern.

Walker ended the game with 27 kills and 16 digs. Walker also led the team with 28 total points against the Trojans.

“27 kills on 75 attempts, hitting .200 as a freshman is pretty impressive, especially coming off of being freshman of the week,” Eastern’s head coach Sara Thomas said. “She kept her composure and said, ‘We’re going to win this game,’ and kept going at it.”

Eastern took the first set, winning 25-22 as Walker went on a 3-0 run on kills herself.

Behind Walker in total kills is senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Flynn (17) and junior outside hitter Matilda Dahlström (14).

Flynn also recorded three total blocks with 20 total points.

“I feel like the game was great,” Dahlström said. “Our energy was amazing through and through.”

The Panthers continued to stay dominate in the second set, securing a 25-21 win over the Trojans.

Eastern went on an early 3-0 run to keep them ahead for the entirety of the second set after an early 3-1 lead.

Little Rock came back, securing close wins in sets three (25-22) and four (25-22).

“We had a little dip in the third and fourth set, but we picked it up really good in the fifth set,” Dahlström said. “Everyone on the court had so much energy and going for every single ball.”

Along with her 14 kills, Dahlström ended the game with 3.5 blocks and two services aces. Dahlström record 19.5 total points against Little Rock.

Graduate Ireland Hieb led the team in total blocks with six. Hieb also recorded four kills and one service ace. Hieb ended the game with 11 points for the Panthers.

Junior setter Catalina Rochaix led the team with 55 assists while also recording 16 digs.

Senior libero/defensive specialist Laura Paniagua led the Panthers with 30 digs herself. Paniagua also finished the game with seven assists and one service ace.

Thomas said the biggest improvement the team had in this game was their overall confidence.

“Now we have a pretty set lineup,” Thomas said. “They’re learning how to win within that lineup. It’s starting to execute.”

With this win, Eastern is currently 8-15 overall with an Ohio Valley Conference record of 4-9.

The Panthers are hoping to record another conference win over the Trojans tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Groniger Arena.

Eastern will be honoring seniors Paige Gardella, Kaitlyn Flynn, Laura Paniagua and Ireland Heib before tomorrow’s game against Little Rock.

Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or at zhflippin@eiu.edu.