Monmouth Hands Red Devils Season-Opening Sweep

MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Eureka College volleyball team showed signs of improvement throughout its season opener against Monmouth.

But the Fighting Scots hit .227, racked up 39 kills and swept the Red Devils, 25-12, 25-21, 25-15, at Glennie Gymnasium.

Caitlin Miller (Washington, Ill./Washington) notched a team-high seven kills for the Red Devils while hitting .412 on the night. Sara Worrell (Jacksonville, Ill./Routt) distributed 19 assists, and Paige Klingler (Newton, Ill./Newton) came up with 11 digs.

Miller and McKenzie Reiners (Milford, Ill./Milford) each posted a block solo.

Monmouth tallied the first six points of the match and led by as many 12 on three occasions before winning the set, 25-12.

In the second set, however, EC kept it competitive. The Red Devils stayed within striking distance, using a 7-2 run to trim the lead to two points at 17-15, and scoring taking three straight to make it 23-21. Back-to-back kills by Amanda Dybal and Megan Gilstrap gave the home team a 2-0 lead.

The third set was relatively tight until Monmouth ended the match with a 10-3 run. Lauren Sperry had a match-high eight kills for the home team.

With the first match of the season under their belts, the Red Devils will now turn their attention to this weekend's Blue Angels Bash at Mont Mary University in Milwaukee, Wis.

EC will play four matches in two days, beginning with a 4:45 p.m. match against North Central (Minn.) at 4:45 p.m. Friday and a 7 p.m. match against Mount Mary.