Eureka Takes Set from Fontbonne, Falls in Four
EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team took the second set away from Fontbonne on Wednesday, but the Griffins bounced back and won the next two to seal the match in four sets. The final score was 25-17, 22-25, 25-7, 25-17.
Freshman Alexis Charlton (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) led the Red Devils in kills for the first time, notching eight kills on 27 swings.
Fellow freshman Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) followed with seven kills, while senior Corinne DeBoard (Centralia, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) and freshman Mallory Ward (Bridgeton, Mo./Ladue) added four and three respectively. DeBoard also came up with both of the team's solo blocks on the night.
Sophomore setter Faith Catour tallied 13 assists and freshman setter Baylor Cluver (Watseka, Ill./Watseka) had nine.
Junior libero Jordyn Fox (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) posted a team-high 19 digs. Shell and Regan Reed (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornell) both recorded double-digit digs as well, finishing with 15 and 11, respectively. Reed was also responsible for two of the team's five service aces.
In the second set, the Red Devils racked up 10 kills and only had one hitting error in 34 attacks – good for a team-best .265 hitting percentage.
The first half of the set was a back-and-forth affair. The teams were tied at 9-9 after 18 points. Fontbonne scored then scored three straight to make it 12-9, but then Eureka found its stride.
The Red Devils ripped off five straight points and went on an 8-2 run. A DeBoard kill put Eureka within one, then Reed notched back-to-back aces to make it 14-12.
A Shell kill gave the maroon and gold a three-point advantage at 16-13. The team maintained it the rest of the way, never letting the Griffins come closer to two.
Shell put down the final kill that gave the Red Devils their first set win in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this season.
Fontbonne answered in the third set by hitting a night-high .381 in a dominant 25-7 win. The Red Devils made the fourth and final set more competitive by going on a 4-1 run late, but the Griffins were too far ahead.
Eureka will play its first road game of the 2021 season on Friday at Westminster. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
