After losing both games to conference opponent Morehead State, Eastern’s volleyball team– the defending champions– has an upward battle to climb to make it back to the tournament. 

That battle is sweeping Tennessee State. The Tigers are currently in front of them, holding the final spot in the tournament. 

The first matchup to see if the Panthers will get it done is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Groniger Arena. Then, Eastern will play TSU again the following day at 4 p.m. at the same venue. 

However, if Eastern loses on Tuesday, the team’s tournament hopes are over. 

The Tigers had a polar opposite 2023 campaign compared to the Panthers. 

While Eastern won the OVC regular season and tournament, TSU got last in the conference with only two wins throughout the season. 

This year, the Tigers have three more wins at 5-11. 

TSU just finished beating Western Illinois, who is sixth in the OVC, on Friday with a 3-2 victory. This win allowed the Tigers to split the series against the Leathernecks, and it was also their highest seeded win throughout conference play this season. 

The four players for the Tigers that led the team in kills, blocks, assists and digs in that game are also in the top 10 in those categories in the conference. 

Those players are senior opposite hitter Jayla Holcombe, graduate opposite hitter Storm White, junior setter Sagaia Reilly and senior libero Hadley Pride in the respective categories. 

White is at the top of the conference in blocks with 95. 

While the Tigers have some players high in the conference statistics, the Panthers have some star players of their own. 

Last year’s OVC setter of the year, junior setter Catalina Rochaix, is in the top five in assists in the conference with 272 assists thus far in the season. 

Graduate middle blocker Ireland Hieb is sixth in the blocking category with 59 blocks. 

Junior outside hitter Matilda Dahlström is ranked ninth in the conference in service aces with 14. 

This series will feature a sizable number of top OVC players from both sides of the court, meaning it won’t be easy sets for either team. 

Eastern needs to sweep in order to steal the final tournament bid from Tennessee State. 

The Panthers are set to face the Tigers on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Groniger Arena. The two teams will face off again on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Groniger Arena. 

Bryce Parker can be reached at at 581-2812 or at baparker2@eiu.edu.