EC Volleyball Season Ends Against Fontbonne, 3-0

EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team's 2022 season came to an end at home in three sets against Fontbonne on Friday.

The Red Devils came out strong, but couldn't keep up with the Griffins in the last two sets. The final scores were 25-17, 25-13, 25-12.

Eureka's Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) and Alexis Charlton (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) finished with team-high six kills. Frannie Heckman (Benson, Ill,/Roanoke-Benson) and Daizjah Shannon (East St. Louis, Mo./Cahokia/Lincoln) both added four kills. Shannon hit a team-high .273.

Setter Sara Hart (Secor, Ill./Eureka) registered 10 assists and posted a team-high 13 digs.

Fontbonne hit .314 on the night and effectively spread out its offense, with Jordan Harpel (9), Kristen Kaempfe (9), Jadyn Fitzgerald (8) and Hannah Gallagher (8) all recording at least eight kills. Kaempfe and Harpel were particularly efficient, hitting .571 and .562, respectively.

The match was Senior Night for the Red Devils, who celebrated the achievements and contributions from Haley Morgan (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington/Lincoln), LaNya Love (East St. Louis, Ill./Cahokia/Lincoln) and Jordyn Fox (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac).

In the team's first season under coach Candace Van Bogaert, the Red Devils finished with an 8-19 record overall and a 3-11 mark in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The team doubled its win total from the season before, picked up three more league wins and reached the eight-win mark for the first time since 2017.

With the majority of the team coming back next season, it's clear the program is moving in the right direction.