Eastern Illinois Preview

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a thrilling Tuesday win over Tennessee State, Belmont University volleyball takes positive momentum into a pair of conference clashes against Eastern Illinois at the Curb Event Center on Friday and Saturday. 

First serve on Friday night is set for 6 p.m., with the match streamed live on ESPN+. Noah Syverson and Ellie Ivancich will have the call. 

First serve on Saturday afternoon will be at 4 p.m. While no video stream will be available for Saturday's match, fans can follow the action via live stats. 

What's Bruin 

• Belmont is coming off their first five-set match of the season, a 3-2 win over Tennessee State on the road across town at Kean Hall 

• After losing the fourth set to tie up the match at 2-2, Belmont buckled down and got off to a scorching start in the decisive fifth set, taking it 15-7 to secure a season sweep of the Tigers 

• The Bruins were led by their seniors in the big win: Taylor Floyd tallied a season-high 20 kills, Carly Mason picked up a career-high 11 kills, Kailee Bass recorded a career-high 11 kills, and Mary Catherine Ball finished with a career-high seven blocks 

• Friday's match will be "Think Pink Night," with the first 100 fans in attendance receiving Think Pink t-shirts. Donations will be collected to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation and efforts to stop breast cancer. To learn more, visit: https://secure.info-komen.org/site/TR/DIYFundraising/ONE_Komen?px=26254925&pg=personal&fr_id=8828 

• At 4-4 in conference, Belmont currently sits just outside the top four in the OVC. UT Martin sits atop the standings with a 6-1 conference mark, their lone loss coming to the Bruins earlier this fall 

• Belmont is coming off a five-match conference road trip that saw them drop a pair of matches to Southeast Missouri before splitting with SIUE and beating Tennessee State. The five-match stretch was the longest OVC road trip the Bruins will take this season. 

• The Bruins are 4-2 at home this season, the fourth best mark in the conference. Belmont will play six of their final ten regular season matches at home   

About the Panthers 

• Eastern Illinois is coming off a pair of sweep losses to Southeast Missouri, 0-3 and 0-3, last weekend at home 

• The Panthers went 7-3 through their non-conference schedule, but are 0-7 in OVC play. The Panthers are 1-6 on the road this season, and are in the midst of a nine-match losing streak. 

• Eastern Illinois leads the OVC in service aces per set (1.74), and senior Kylie Michael leads the OVC individually with 0.38 aces per set 

• Senior setter Bailey Chandler is currently 9th all-time in Eastern Illinois program history for career assists (2,167) 

• Ontario native Danielle Allen leads the team with 164 kills. Her kill per set average of 2.98 is tied with Belmont's Taylor Floyd for 9th in the OVC 

Series History 

• Belmont has won nine of ten all-time matchups against Eastern Illinois 

• The Bruins only loss to the Panthers came at the Curb in 2017 

• Belmont and Eastern Illinois last met during the 2019 season, with the Bruins winning 3-0 at home