Eastern University Volleyball took three of four matches at the Southwestern University Halloween Invitational. Their 3-2 loss to the 20th ranked host was their first loss to a team out of the top four in the country this year.

Eastern (27-4, 7-0 Freedom) beat Austin College 3-0 in the tournament opener on Friday. The Kangaroos had been in and out of the national polls this year and received votes in the most recent poll, but the Eagles hit .297 as a team to win 26-24, 25-28, 25-21. Courtney Reinhold led the way with 16 kills and Kearby Benak, in her first match back in her home state, hit .400 with 13 kills. Maria Horning finished with 40 assists.

The Eagles jumped out of the gate against the #20 Southwestern Pirates with a 25-21 win, but they dropped the next two sets. Eastern then battled to a 26-24 win in the fourth set before falling 15-11 in a the deciding set. Horning dished out 63 assists, Reinhold delivered 26 kills and 17 digs, and Benak and Rachel Wenger also reached double-figure kills with 18 and 13 respectively, but the Eagles were not able to overcome the hosts in the deciding fifth set.

Eastern had a decidedly easier time of things with Saturday's matches. They dispatched of Concordia in three sets, and they took care of St. Thomas in three as well. Horning had 37 assists in each match. She and Reinhold were named to the All-Tournament team.

Reinhold finished the weekend with 71 kills. The junior All-American now sits just 11 kills shy of 1500 for her career and in third place on Eastern's career list. The Eagles will return to action in the conference on Wednesday night when they host DeSales in a Freedom Conference semifinal. The match will start at 7:00 pm. Per MAC instructions, admission will be charged for the event. Eastern University Student Development has agreed to pay admission for Eastern University Students with valid Eastern University ID's. Adults are $5, Senior Citizens are $3, and Students are $2.

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