Volleyball eyes strong finish for SLIAC tourney berth

EUREKA, Ill. — The Eureka College volleyball team is on the verge of surpassing the win total of the final three seasons combined as the Red Devils head into the final half of the season with an eye on qualifying for the conference tournament.

Picked to finish last in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Conference preseason poll of coaches, the Red Devils won eight matches in September to climb to an 8-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the SLIAC, one game behind fourth-place Spaulding. The top four teams in the final standings advance to the conference tournament next month.

"It started with the culture in the gym that we created from the start of the season," said Red Devils interim head coach Becca Idell. "We have an environment that has the girls excited."

Idell, a 2013 EC graduate, was a freshman in 2009 and played on the only Red Devil team to advance to the SLIAC tournament.

"We focus on day-to-day and week-to-week goals and look for small and big wins along the way," Idell said. "It has put the girls in a place to win mentally."

EC has been paced by junior Destiny Adkins (Metamora, Ill. / Metamora HS), who is ninth in the conference with 2.77 kills per set and owns a .173 hitting percentage.

"She's aggressive and a leader on the court," Idell said of the Lincoln College transfer. "She knows how to put the ball down."

Adkins is flanked by fellow junior starters Beth Mickna (Deer Creek, Ill. / Dee-Mack HS) and Meagan Hanney (Sherman, Ill. / Williamsville HS) and their 201 combined kills and a strong crop of freshmen and sophomores. Sophomore Lexi Dooley (Sutter, Ill. / Warsaw HS) is second on the team with 130 kills (2.36 per set). Sophomore libero Jordan Detmers (Hartsburg, Ill. / Hartsburg-Emden HS) leads the Red Devils back row and ranks in the top 10 in digs (222) in the SLIAC.

Idell uses two setters who play through the rotation — sophomore Heather Robinson (Peoria, Ill. / Limestone HS) with 323 assists and Hanney with 221. Robinson's total is good for seventh in the SLIAC.

"We run a unique set with them both on the court at the same time," Idell said. "They collaborate well together, and the team really respects those two. Mentally and emotionally, they're the ones the team looks to."

The Red Devils will continue their push for a conference-tournament bid with their final home games of the season, beginning with a 7 p.m. match Monday, Oct. 10 against Fontbonne at Reagan Center.

Monmouth visits EC on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. for a nonconference game, before returning to conference play for the home finale Friday, Oct. 14 against Blackburn at 7 p.m.