Red Devils Fall Short to Knox in Season Opener, 3-0
EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team went toe-to-toe with Knox in its season opener on Wednesday, but ultimately fell short in three close sets. The Prairie Fire won it 25-20, 25-21, 26-24.
Freshman Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) racked up a team-high 13 kills on 30 swings, had two aces and was one dig shy of a double-double in her Red Devil debut.
She and setter Faith Catour (Orion, Ill./Orion) each notched a team-high nine digs, while libero Megan Masching (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) posted eight. Corinne DeBoard (Centralia, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) and Jordyn Fox (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) each had six.
Emma Harris (Streator, Ill./Streator) led the Red Devils in kill efficiency, hitting .300 with four kills. Katelin Peters (New Berlin, Ill./New Berlin) and DeBoard both had three kills.
The Red Devils started off the first set slow, conceding the first five points to the Prairie Fire, but the home team bounced back to down two at 13-11. They stayed within two to three points until a kill by Shell made 20-18.
The Prairie Fire responded by claiming the next three points, finishing the set on a 5-2 run and winning 25-20.
The second set was a back and forth affair in which the Red Devils led by as many as four and trailed by as many as four. Knox ended up on top, 25-21.
In the third set, Eureka looked primed to push the match to four sets. However, Knox got hot when its back was against the wall, scoring eight straight points to take it away in extra points.
The Red Devils (0-1) will look to bounce back on Friday, when they take on Rockford at 4 p.m. and Lawrence at 8 p.m. on the road at Rockford.
