Little Rock Returns to Conference Play with Trip to Eastern Illinois

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock will return to Ohio Valley Conference play with the Trojans' first trip to Illinois in a decade with a two-game OVC series at Eastern Illinois beginning Friday evening.
 
ESPN+ (FRIDAY) | ESPN+ (SATURDAY) | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES | EIU GAME NOTES
 
Both matches will air live on ESPN+ as Little Rock looks to notch its first OVC win in program history. This is Little Rock's first trip to the state of Illinois since 2012 when the Trojans went 2-1 in an early-season tournament at Southern Illinois in a weekend that included a 3-1 win over UT Martin.
 
Three Four Things to Know

1. Hi, My Name Is...
   The two teams may need name tags this weekend when Little Rock plays at Eastern Illinois. While the Trojans and Panthers have met twice on the court before, this will be the first time since 2002 that Little Rock and EIU will face each other across the net and the first time the two teams will play each other on one of their respective campuses.
2. The Trojan Wall is Up
   Little Rock's net defense is off to a hot start at the start of this season and the OVC might want to take notice. Entering this week's action, the Trojans are 93rd in the nation averaging 2.25 blocks per set and 66th in the country with 123.5 total blocks on the year. Both marks lead the OVC. That stifling defense is led by Zanobia Willis, who enters this week ranked 55th nationally and second in the OVC with an average of 1.23 blocks per set. Overall, she has 59 total blocks on the year which also ranks second in the league and 75th in the country. Meanwhile Daedrianna Cail ranks sixth in the OVC with an average of 1.03 blocks per set while her 48 total blocks ranks fifth in the league.
3. UCA Learned that the Hard Way
   The Sugar Bears might have felt a bit of a toothache after the Sept. 27 match at the Jack Stephens Center as Little Rock recorded 18 total team blocks in the four-set match against their I-40 rivals. At the time, the 18 team blocks were the most by any OVC team in a match (of any length) this season and tied for the eighth most blocks in a four-set match in the nation this year alongside performances by Arizona and Sacramento State.
4. Close Calls
   Because we like to think of our fans' best interests at heart (pun intended, as you will see), we'd like to take a moment to recommend all Trojan fans use their regular checkups to get stress and anxiety tests done (we recommend at UAMS, proud sponsor of the Trojans). This is because Little Rock has played 15 sets this year that have ended with the minimum two-point difference and another five that have been determined by four points or less. At least you know your game ticket will be well worth the price as Little Rock continues to thrill fans with close sets!

 For the latest information on Little Rock Volleyball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockVB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
Get the latest Trojan news – including the weekly Trojan Report – delivered to you direct to your inbox by signing up for Little Rock Trojan E-News here.
 
#LittleRocksTeam