EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The SIUE volleyball team used a balanced attack Wednesday to open the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference season with a 25-22, 25-13, 25-13 victory over Eastern Illinois at the Vadalabene Center.

SIUE, 8-4 overall and 1-0 in the OVC, broke a seven-match losing streak in the series with the Panthers. It was SIUE's first win against EIU since the 2012 season.

"There is an advantage to playing at home because you have the home crowd, but there are also home jitters because you are performing for people you respect," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. "You feel a duty to them and that can be a little nerve-wracking. That's a positive thing."

Eastern Illinois, 3-12 overall and 0-1 in the OVC, made SIUE's OVC home debut a slow start by winning seven out of the first eight points of the match, but the Cougars stormed back to tie the opening set 12-12 before running away with the rest of the match.

"I was really pleased with the composure we showed," said Johnson. "They (Eastern Illinois) came out hot. To some extent we have a target on our backs. We settled in and our rhythm got better and better as the match went on."

After hitting .100 as a team in the first set, SIUE's offense became dominant with a .360 hitting percentage in the second set and .323 in set three. For the match, SIUE hit .240.

"Our goal was to hit .250 (as a team)," said Johnson. "That is an ambitious goal, and we were just under that which is awesome. I am more than pleased. Our passing was steady. We spread the offense evenly."

Jackie Scott and Ashley Witt led the Cougars with nine kills each as the team finished with 39 kills for the match.

"If you look at just attempts, it's four people (Taylor Joens, Scott, Held and Witt) with almost the same amount of attempts. That's a phenomenal situation to be in," said Johnson.

EIU, which hit .077 as a team picked up seven kills each from Allie Hueston, Maria Brown and Taylor Smith.

SIUE closes out the week Saturday with a 1 p.m. match against Tennessee State at the Vadalabene Center.

"Our whole focus is on our goals on our side of the net," said Johnson. "It's about us improving every single week so as a team collectively, from top to bottom every individual improves on a weekly basis. We feel like the outcome will be the outcome. We just want to stay dialed in to what our goals are on a weekly basis."