Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Trey Burke Eastern begins the celebration after winning at home against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks had not lost a conference game all year until this very point.

Media Credit: Trey Burke Junior libero Abby O'Connor earned OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors after averaging 5.82 digs per set last week.

Eastern's volleyball team entered the last week of the season clinging to hopes that they would make it into the OVC Tournament. The Colonels not only had to win all of their games, but also needed a little help from a conference rival.

Eastern had to face two opponents in Richmond that had both swept the Colonels earlier in the season. If they won those games, Eastern then had to make up a game against Eastern Illinois University that had been canceled the previous week. The Colonels needed wins in all of those games, as well as a loss from Southeast Missouri State to make the tourney.

Somehow it all came together for the Colonels. Resiliently Eastern (10-18, 9-9 OVC) won three matches in three days to clinch a spot in the OVC Tournament.

"I was very proud of their effort," Head Coach Lori Duncan said. "This team finally saw what type of team they can be when everyone is involved, when everyone is excited to play. They needed to see that. They needed to see what they could do. I was most proud of the way they responded when they got pushed"

Eastern's improbable run began on Friday against Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks entered the match as the regular season OVC champions with an undefeated conference record.

The Colonels handed Jacksonville State (24-7, 17-1 OVC) their first conference loss by beating them in three sets. Scores for the match were 25-22, 25-16 and 25-20.

Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Groudle and senior outside hitter Lindsey Loescher led the way for the Colonels in a pivotal stretch of the second set.

Trailing 7-5, the Colonels scored seven of the next eight points to take the lead 12-8. Loescher scored four of her 11 kills in that stretch. Groudle, who had a game high 12 kills for the match, scored three straight kills during that run.

"We played like we had nothing to lose," Groudle said. "We played with passion, and everyone did their part."

After starting the third set down 5-0, Eastern outscored the Gamecocks 25-15 to win the set and to complete the sweep ending thier17 match winning streak.

"As a team, we just put it all on the line," Loescher said. "Everyone did their part, and that shows in the way we won."

Junior middle blocker Autumn Harms contributed seven kills and four solo blocks for the Colonels.

"We were really, really excited to play," Harms said. "Even when we made mistakes, we were able to pick each other up. We all did our jobs."

Junior libero Abby O'Connor posted a match high 24 digs. Junior setter Kate Hendle had 30 assists.

"Our team was so energized for that match," Coach Duncan said. "You could see that they knew they made a statement about who they are. The best thing is that the entire group knows they're connected to what happened. They all played well, they all contributed."

Jacksonville State was lead by Brittney Whitten's eight kills and 10 digs.

After the match Eastern received the good news that SEMO had lost in five sets to Eastern Illinois. That meant the Colonels were in control of their own fate and needed to continue winning in order to make their first appearance in the conference tourney since 2006.

The Colonels continued their strong play against Tennessee Tech (10-17, 9-9 OVC) on Saturday. Eastern honored seniors Loescher, Jessica Meads, and Nicole Mulhall while avenging an earlier loss to the Golden Eagles by winning in four sets. Scores for the match were 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 and 27-25.

Even though the Colonels dropped the second set after leading 14-7, they weren't deterred.

The Colonels came back to win the third behind junior outside hitter Lauren Snyder, who scored eight of her match best 19 kills in the third set. Snyder also posted 14 digs to record her seventh double-double of the year.

Eastern lost an 18-13 lead in the fourth set trailing Tech 24-25. However, Eastern managed to battle back on a kill by Loescher, an attack error on Tech, and ultimately won the set and the match on an Amanda Fago kill.

Loescher had 16 kills for the match and Harms had nine. Kate Hendle's 52 assists were a match best.

With 27 digs for the match, O'Connor moved up to seventh on Eastern's all-time digs list, 29 away from sixth.

Leah Meffert led Tech with 12 kills, two service aces, and nine digs.

The two home wins for Eastern set up their rescheduled match with EIU (11-20, 4-1 OVC) at the University of Evansville.

As if a win-and-you're-in game against EIU wasn't enough drama, the Colonels had to outlast the Panthers in a tight five set match. Scores for the match were 25-23, 25-13, 24-26, 22-25 and 15-8.The first and second sets were won by Eastern, largely due to the 10 kills Harms recorded in those sets. Overall Harms scored a career-high 18 kills to lead the Colonels.

Even after losing the third and fourth sets, Eastern never trailed in the fifth set ending the suspense of the weekend and claiming their spot in the OVC Tournament.

"EIU didn't go away," Coach Duncan said. "They played with a lot of emotion. They made us earn it."

Snyder had 14 kills for Eastern, while Groudle and Loescher both had 11. For the eighth time this season Hendle posted over fifty assists with 51 for the match. O'Connor's 26 digs was the fourth straight time she has recorded over 20 in a match.

"I'm very proud of them," Coach Duncan said. "The signature of this team is that no matter what craziness happens, they won't give up. And that's one of the highest compliments you can say about someone."

Eastern begins first round play in the OVC Tournament on Thursday at 8 p.m. against Morehead State (19-10, 11-6 OVC) on the campus of Jacksonville State University. If the Colonels win that game they would then play Austin Peay in the semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m.

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