Posted: Sep 26, 2019
Red Devils Return Home for Busy Weekend
EUREKA — After three straight road matches to kick off the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Eureka volleyball team is back home for a SLIAC showdown against Fontbonne on Friday. The Red Devils will play host to the Griffins inside Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center at 7 p.m, kicking off a five-match homestand.
ABOUT EUREKA: Through 10 matches, the Red Devils are 3-7 and 0-3 in SLIAC play.
Eureka went 3-1 at the Blue Angels Bash the first weekend of the season, sweeping North Central (Minn.), Mount Mary and Silver Lake and falling in four sets to Beloit. Since then, the maroon and gold has fallen short in five straight matches. They picked up a set in three of the five matches and were blanked twice.
Now, the Red Devils are looking to end the skid and earn their first conference win on their home floor.
Junior setter Sara Worrell currently ranks fifth in the SLIAC in assists per set with 6.71 and has racked up six double-doubles, including a career-high 23 digs to go with 23 assists at Principia on Tuesday. Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Klingler follows Worrell with 3.38 digs per set.
In the front row, senior McKenzie Reiners has notched the third-most block solos in the SLIAC with 12 and ranks third in blocks per set at .71.
Junior outside hitter Caitlin Miller leads the team's offense with 2.06 kills per set while hitting a team-high .155. She has posted 70 kills thus far. Fellow junior outside hitter Annaliese Miller is four kills behind at 66 on the season while hitting 1..33 and averaging 1.94 kills per set. Corinne DeBoard and Reiners re hitting .127 and .124, respectively.
ABOUT FONTBONNE: Heading into the team's 11th match, Fontbonne is still gunning for its first win on the season. The Griffins have yet to take a set from an opponent.
They were most recently swept by SLIAC foe Westminster on Wednesday, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21.
However, the Griffins did set new season-high marks in kills (34) and assists (29). They also ended the night with their best set of the season, amassing 17 kills and just two attacks errors for a .375 hitting percentage. Rae Andrews recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 10 kills and 12 digs, and Jill Reando distributed a season-high 27 assists.
LAST TIME VERSUS FONTBONNE: The last time these teams met, the Griffins came away victorious in a four-set battle in St. Louis, winning 25-15, 25-16, 20-25, 25-16 on Oct. 10, 2018. The Red Devils previously swept Fontbonne in a neutral-site SLIAC match on Sept. 22, 25-14, 25-21, 25-22. The Griffins lead the all-time series 17-9.
UP NEXT: Friday's Fontbonne match is a warm-up for Eureka's annual home quad. On Saturday, the Red Devils will host three SLIAC opponents, Blackburn, Greenville and Fontbonne. The Red Devils will take on Blackburn at 11 a.m. and Greenville at 1 p.m.