Sophomore middle hitter Kera Griffin attempts to block the ball during Tuesday´s game against DePaul

Panthers sweep both weekend matches

By: Marco Santana/ Staff Reporter

Posted: 9/27/05

The Panthers' volleyball team swept a pair of Ohio Valley Conference rivals last weekend. They beat Murray State University on Friday and University of Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.

Midway through the first game on Friday, it looked as if the game would go down to the wire as the teams were tied at 17. But senior outside hitter Jessica Ackerman served four straight points, including two service aces, and led the team to a 30-23 win in game one.

Ackerman led the team with 15 kills in the match on a team-high of 39 swings.

"(She) had another great weekend for us," said head coach Lori Bennett. "She's been very consistent."

The Panthers controlled the second game against Murray State from the beginning. They led 15-8 and were not threatened the rest of the way in a 30-25 victory.

Game three was more closely contested. The Panthers took the early 15-11 lead but the Racers came back and tied it at 20.

Eastern took the game and the match as freshman outside hitter Caitlin Balsam recorded her eighth kill of the game for a 30-25 win.

Sophomore setter Maren Crabtree led the team with a career-high 25 digs and recorded her fourth straight double-double.

"She has been very steady for us every game," Bennett said.

The Panthers had a quick turnaround. After closing out Murray State late Friday evening, they had to travel to Martin, Tenn., for an afternoon affair with the Skyhawks.

In game one, the Panthers staked Tennessee-Martin (2-16, 0-2) to a 5-1 lead. After freshman middle hitter Natalee Staggs recorded back-to-back kills for the Skyhawks, the Panthers (6-4, 2-0) were trailing 10-8.

The Panthers responded with a 17-8 run that gave them a 10-point lead and allowed them to coast to a 30-23 victory.

During the run, the Skyhawks committed 7 of their 10 game one-attack errors. The Panthers out hit the Skyhawks .452 to .086 for the game.

The second game was more efficient for the Skyhawks. They hit .240 and looked like they were ready to tie the match up. They had a 20-14 lead but allowed the Panthers to come back and tie the game at 21. UTM tried to take control with a run that put it ahead 26-22 but the Panthers recovered and finished with a 31-29 victory.

The final game featured nine service aces, including five by the Panthers, and they completed the sweep with the 30-28 win.

Senior defensive specialist Aja Kohlbecker tallied all three of her aces in the third game. She leads the Panthers with 0.37 service aces per game.

"She has a pretty tough serve," Bennett said. "We've been taking advantage of her in that role."

Senior middle hitter Megan Kennedy led the Panthers attack with 13 kills and hit .320 for the match.

The Panthers return to action this weekend at Lantz Arena. Morehead State comes to town on Friday. The highly-anticipated match between the 2004 OVC co-champions is Saturday when Eastern Kentucky University comes to Charleston.