Match #13
Lindenwood (6-6, 0-0 OVC)
vs. Eastern Illinois (4-6, 0-0 OVC)
Match Information:
Date: Friday, Sept. 27
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo. | Hyland Arena
All-Time Series: 2-2
Last Meeting: 1-3, Eastern Illinois (Charleston, Ill.)
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: ESPN+

Match #14
Lindenwood
vs. Eastern Illinois
Match Information:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo. | Hyland Arena
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: ESPN+

Matchup
Lindenwood's women volleyball team begins their 2024 Ohio Valley Conference schedule this weekend as they host the defending OVC Champions Eastern Illinois Panthers inside Hyland Arena. The Lions were one of just five teams to defeat EIU and just one of two OVC schools.

In the non-conference season, Lindenwood was tied for the second most wins (6) of any OVC school behind Tennessee Tech (11). Lindenwood was victorious at the Kangaroo Klassic last weekend going 2-1 with wins over UMKC and Montana. Rebecca Janke was voted the Tournament MVP.

Eastern Illinois started off their non-conference schedule with a 3-0 loss against #24 Marquette at home. They responded with three wins in Carbondale, Ill. EIU and Lindenwood shared three common opponents so far this season (Southern Illinois, Bradley and Austin Peay) with each team losing to Bradley.

This marks the first of four home weekends for Lindenwood against OVC opponents. Lindenwood is currently 2-0 at home picking up wins over SIU and Austin Peay earlier this season. EIU is 1-3 on the road in 2024 with their lone win coming against SIU.

Preseason OVC Rankings
The OVC released their 2024 women's volleyball preseason poll earlier this season where Lindenwood was selected to finish in fifth place. The Lions had the third best record in the conference last season earning as the third seed at the OVC Tournament.

Southeast Missouri State was voted as the preseason favorite in 2024 with six first-place votes and a total of 167 points. Last year's OVC Champions Eastern Illinois was picked to finish right behind them with 166 points and five first place votes.

Morehead State (163 points/five first-place votes), Tennessee Tech (152 points/four first-place votes) and Lindenwood (145 points/one first-place vote) round out the top five in the OVC poll. The top five schools were separate by just 22 points.

Lindenwood also landed two players on the Preseason All-OVC team. Nyah Wilson and Jessie Seidel were selected after both received Second Team All-OVC honors last season. Allie Otten was voted as a player to watch as she returns for her sixth season.

Last Weekend Recap
LU ended their non-conference season last weekend in Kansas City, Mo. where they took home first at the Kangaroo Klassic hosted by Kansas City. Lindenwood went 2-1 with a 3-0 sweep over UMKC and a 3-1 win over Big Sky opponent Montana.

Autumn Bax claimed her second straight OVC Freshman of the Week honor after posting a team-high 36 kills on a .302 hitting percentage. Bax posted 10 kills against UMKC, a weekend high 15 vs. Bradley and had 11 kills vs. Montana. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.

Libero Jessie Seidel was also named the co-OVC Defensive Player of the Week after posting 57 digs throughout the weekend. Seidel is tied for the OVC lead in total digs with 226. She had a weekend high 22 digs against Bradley. Seidel needs just 61 more digs to become the first Lion in the NCAA era to reach 2,000 career digs.

Janke, who was voted the Kangaroo Klassic MVP, was the most efficient Lion hitting .360 with 31 kills. After posting 15 kills vs. Bradley, she followed that with nine kills and four blocks against Montana. She hit .563 in the final match of the weekend.

Player To Watch
Defensive specialist Dana Grib has made an impact this season coming off the bench. She has played in all 12 matches and 42 sets. Grib has 81 digs this season including a season-high 19 against Illinois State during a 3-2 victory. She has four matches of over 10 digs.

OVC Top Ten Stats
Two Lions rank inside the top ten of the OVC in hitting percentage this week with Janke and Bax. Janke ranks fourth with a .315 percentage while Bax makes her first appearance on the top ten ranking ninth with a .290. Of those eligible for the top ten in HP%, Janke and Bax rank third and fifth in kills.

Allie Otten moves up into the top fifth in assists per set with an average of 8.10. Her 397 total assists ranks third in the conference. Seidel also ranks sixth in the OVC in digs per set (4.61) and tied for first tin total digs (226).

Scouting the Opponent
Eastern Illinois Category Leaders    
Kills: Kaitlyn Flynn - 81
Assists: Sylvia Hasz - 160
Aces: Kaitlyn Flynn - 9
Digs: Laura Paniagua - 91   
Blocks: Ireland Hieb - 26.0

Up Next:
Lindenwood gets their first OVC road test next week as they start in Macomb, Ill. on Tuesday, Oct. 1 vs. Western Illinois. They continue their trip to Edwardsville, Ill. on Friday and Saturday a SIUE. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.