Fontbonne Stops EC Volleyball in Straight Sets

 EUREKA — The Eureka volleyball team couldn't find a rhythm in its first home match in over two weeks on Friday.

The Red Devils fell in straight sets against St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Fontbonne, 25-10, 25-19, 25-14, at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.

With the loss, the Red Devils fell to 3-8 on the season and 0-4 in SLIAC play. Fontbonne, meanwhile, picked up its first win of the 2019 season, improving to 1-10 and 1-1.

The Griffins hit .385, with Rae Andrews' 13 kills on 26 swings leading the way. Maura Rabun added nine kills while hitting .600, posting nine kills on 15 swings with zero attacking errors. Setter Jessica Molden distributed 27 digs.

For Eureka, setter Sara Worrell (Jacksonville, Ill./Rout) notched 13 assists and a team-high eight digs. Annaliese Miller (Chenoa, Ill./Prairie Central) recorded a team-high five kills, and Caitlin Miller (Washington, Ill./Washington) and McKenzie Reiners (Milford, Ill./Milford) each had a pair of block assists.

The closest set of the match was the second. Down by six, EC went on a 5-0 run to come within a point at 19-18.

Caitlin Miller started it off with a kill, Annaliese Miller added two more and Reiners put together a pair of aces. The Griffins, however, responded by taking six of the next seven points to seal a 25-19 win and take a 2-0 lead.

Eureka had a 4-0 run midway through and scored three of four late in the third, but consistent offense was sparse throughout.

Friday's match was the first of five straight home contests for the Red Devils. On Saturday, the maroon and gold will host Blackburn at 11 a.m. and Greenville at 1 p.m. in a SLIAC quad.