The Lindenwood women's volleyball team (14-2, 4-0 OVC) won their ninth straight match with a 3-0 sweep over Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon inside Hyland Arena. Susanna Beretti led the charge offensively with 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, while Kylee Richey and Lauren Ortwerth each added nine kills.
Eastern Illinois jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first set, but the Lions clawed their way back behind kills from Ashley Geluck, Autumn Bax, and Kaci Johnson. Johnson capped a 4-0 Lindenwood run with a service ace to even the set at 10-10 before Geluck and Ortwerth teamed up for a block to give the Lions their first lead of the set at 11-10. Later in the opening set, Beretti recorded a kill and a block while the Lions held a two-point lead, helping Lindenwood create some separation with an 18-13 advantage. The Lions closed out the set on a 6-2 run, highlighted by two more kills from Geluck, to take the opening frame 25-18.
In set two, the Panthers once again came out strong, grabbing an early 6-3 lead. Similar to the opening frame, Lindenwood fought back and eventually used a 6-0 run while trailing 11-10 to take control of the set. Autumn Bax and Beretti each recorded a kill and a block during the run, helping the Lions take a 15-11 lead. The two squads went back and forth during the later stages of the set, with the score eventually being tied at 21 with four points remaining. EIU briefly took a 23-22 lead, but Lindenwood responded with three straight points to close out the set. Geluck and Beretti combined for a block to even the score, before a Geluck service ace and a Beretti kill gave the Lions a 25-23 victory and a two-set lead.
The final set saw the two teams trade the first 12 points, with the score tied at six. The Lions' defense recorded two blocks, while kills from Geluck and Richey helped Lindenwood use a 5-0 run to take an 11-6 advantage almost midway through the set. The Panthers continued to battle and cut the deficit to two at 14-12, but Lindenwood responded with a match-changing 5-0 run to take a 19-12 lead, highlighted by three kills from Beretti. The Lions closed out the final frame with two big kills from Richey and one kill each from Geluck and Johnson to secure a 25-16 set three victory to complete Lindenwood's fourth straight OVC sweep.
Defensively, Dana Grib posted her second straight match with 14 digs and surpassed 1,000 digs for her collegiate career, while Ashley Geluck led the Lions at the net with four blocks. Kaci Johnson also recorded her sixth match of the season with 40 or more assists, finishing the contest against the Panthers with 43 assists.
Lindenwood will now hit the road next weekend for two big matches agaisnt SEMO. The Lions will play on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10 with first serve on Friday against the Redhawks set for 6 PM in Cape Girardeau.
