Nyah Wilson had 10 kills, six digs, two aces, and a block in Lindenwood’s win over Eastern Illinois, Friday night at Hyland Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Women’s Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois (4-7, 0-1) | 25 | 21 | 20 | (0) |
| Lindenwood (7-6, 1-0) | 27 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University women’s volleyball team earned itself a huge win in its Ohio Valley Conference opener, Friday night.
The Lions defeated defending OVC champion, Eastern Illinois, three sets to none at Hyland Arena on the Lindenwood campus.
Lindenwood was led by freshman Autumn Bax, a right side hitter from Jefferson City. She had 12 kills on 24 attempts, posting her fourth straight match with at least 10 kills.
Senior teammate Nyah Wilson had 10 kills, six digs, two service aces, and a dig. Fellow senior Rebecca Janke had eight kills and four blocks, while setter Allie Otten finished the night with 37 assists.
“I thought Allie Otten did a great job of spreading out the offense and getting everyone involved,” Lindenwood head coach Will Condon said. “Dana went in and really helped solidify our serve receive. I think that Eastern does a good job of mixing up the serves, the speeds, the angles and locations so having another solid passer really made a difference tonight.”
Lindenwood freshman Autumn Bax had a team-high 12 kills in the Lions’ win over Eastern Illinois on Friday. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
The first set was an offensive battle between the Lions and the Panthers. LU had a match high 18 kills in the first while hitting .350. Wilson had five kills while Ashley Geluck and Janke both had four. There were eight ties in the first, but Geluck ended the set with two kills to put LU up 27-25.
Eastern Illinois challenged the Lions in the second set, but LU closed out the second with a 25-21 set win. Otten helped the Lions offense with11 assists in the second and Bax added four of her 12 kills. LU’s defense forced EIU into six attack errors.
Lindenwood’s offense was too much for Eastern Illinois in the third set as they closed out the match with a 25-20 set win. LU had only two attack errors on 41 attempts in the third while hitting a match high .366.
Geluck and Bax combined for seven kills as Lindenwood picked up their first OVC win. It marks the second straight season the Lions have won their opening OVC match.
Lindenwood setter Allie Otten had 37 assists in the Lions’ win over Eastern Illinois, Friday night. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
Lindenwood is 7-6 on the season. The Lions have won two matches in a row, three of their last four, and five of their last seven.
The Lions and Panthers will meet again on Saturday. First serve at Hyland Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
“We need to enjoy the win and move on quickly,” Condon said. “Tomorrow is another day against the same team, so we can not make any assumptions and be ready for another fight tomorrow.”