Trojans set sights on Eastern Illinois in final road trip of regular season

The last time Little Rock traveled to Charleston, Illinois, the Trojans were bounced from the OVC Championships by the top-seed and host Eastern Illinois Panthers. This weekend, the teams meet again in Groniger Arena, but the landscape is a bit different. With four games to go, Little Rock is still very much in the mix for the league's regular season title, while EIU is trying to avoid being left out of the mix altogether.
 
Little Rock (15-12, 10-4 OVC) and Eastern Illinois (7-15, 3-9) meet Friday and Saturday in the Trojans' final road series of the regular season, having already clinched a spot in the OVC Championships later this month, and just a game out of the top overall seed. Friday's contest is scheduled for 6 pm, while Saturday's match is slated for a 4 pm start, with both streaming live on ESPN+.
 
For the Trojans to stay in the championship hunt, they'll need to do something they've never done – beat Eastern Illinois. Little Rock is 0-7 all-time against the Panthers and has been swept in straight sets in the last five meetings, including two in last year's regular season and again in the first round of the OVC tournament. This season presents the best opportunity to do just that, as EIU is far from the machine it was last season, when the Panthers finished 28-5, swept all three matches in the OVC Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. This year, Eastern Illinois is just 2-4 with losses in three of their last four matches overall.
 
Little Rock has had an up-and-down experience over its last two weeks, splitting four matches including a reverse sweep loss at home to first-place SEMO, and a split against Western Illinois that began with a thrilling five-set win before concluding in a straight-set loss. But the Trojans are 6-4 as the road team this season and have won their last four away from the Jack Stephens Center.
 
After this weekend, Little Rock will be off for 10 days with a bye next week before wrapping up the regular season at home against second-place Lindenwood on Nov. 19-20. The Lions currently hold a half-game lead over the Trojans and trail SEMO by a half game.