Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Sports

Eastern senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler prepares to set the ball gainst Jacksonville State on Oct. 10 in Lantz Arena. The Panthers are 10-18 this season with a 3-12 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. Wheeler is one of three seniors who is being honored this weekend with Senior Day on Saturday in Lantz Arena. (Chelsea Grady/The Daily Eastern News)

As the old English proverb goes, "All good things must come to an end."

The Eastern volleyball team's season will conclude this weekend as the Panthers finish off their campaign with two home matches at Lantz Arena.

The Panthers have a Friday match-up against Southeast Missouri and a Saturday night season finale versus their-soon-to-be Ohio Valley Conference rivals Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

Going into their final two matches at 10-18 overall and 3-12 in the OVC, the Panthers hope to end the season on a high note and put on a show for the many family and friends that will be in attendance for the team's final games.

"Having our last two games at home is awesome," said junior middle blocker Jorie Dieter. "I have a lot of fans that are from the St. Louis area so we have a lot to show them."

The Panthers begin their final homestand against the Southeast Missouri 7 p.m. Friday. Revenge will be in the air for the Panthers as the Redhawks took it to Eastern in three straight sets last time.

The Redhawks are coming off a four-set loss to Murray State and should be looking to get back on track with a win against the Panthers.

On Saturday versus SIU-Edwardsville, emotions should run high as it is the last game of the season for the Panthers. For some, such as senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler, it will be the last match of her collegiate career.

As much as it will be a chance for veteran players to reflect on their careers at Eastern, it will be a good chance for the younger players to see what a season finale at Lantz Arena will be like.

"I think playing the last two games at home are important not only for Jessica, but for the freshmen as well," Dieter said. "It is a great experience for them to finish out their season on home court."

Going up against the 1-27 Cougars, the Panthers will be looking to come out with a win, and give all of their friends and families something to cheer about in their final game. "We are hoping to end on a good note this season and get two wins," said junior outside hitter Alex Zwettler.

Kevin Maras can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmaras@eiu.edu.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools

The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.

Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.

Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.

If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.