Eureka Pushes Spalding to Four Sets on Senior Night 

EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team pushed Spalding to four sets on Senior Night at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center on Friday, but the visitors prevailed.  

The final scores were 23-25, 11-25, 25-22, 25-12.  

Eureka senior outside hitter Payton Florine (Galesburg, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) tallied a team-high eight kills while hitting .208 and coming up with a team-high 13 digs. She only had three hitting errors on 24 swings and also contributed a service ace and a block assist.  

Madison Richards (Princeton, Ill./Princeton) added four kills, hit .222 on the night and had a solo block. Alexis Charlton (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) and Daizjah Shannon (East St. Louis, Ill./Cahokia) each had three kills.  

Emma Sandlin (Greentown, Ind./Eastern) distributed a team-high 13 assists.  

The Red Devils limited their errors in both rows and hit with consistency in the first and third sets – leading to two exciting, competitive games. The Golden Eagles got the edge in the first set despite an energetic start, winning 25-23, but the home team held on Set 3 to take it to a fourth set.  

In the fourth set, however, the Golden Eagles got on a roll early on and rode the momentum the rest of the way to clinch the win.   

Spalding's Jayda Branch racked up a match-high 18 kills in the win for the Golden Eagles.  

Before the match, Eureka celebrated the accomplishments and contributions of five of its six seniors – Florine, Jurnee Flournoy (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur), La'Nya Love (East St. Louis, Ill./Cahokia/Lincoln), Hope McGinnes (Mackinaw, Ill./Deer Creek-Mackinaw/Lincoln) and Daizjah Shannon (East St. Louis, Ill./Cahokia/Lincoln).  

On Saturday, Eureka (3-16, 2-11 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) will turn around and host Mississippi University for Women at 1 p.m.