Beloit Tops Red Devils, 3-0
EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team nearly pushed Beloit to a fourth set, but the Buccaneers secured a sweep at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center on Wednesday.
The visitors won it, 25-17, 25-11, 25-17, on a night that the maroon and gold played solid defense and contended in a lot of long rallies, but struggle to put the ball down on the opposite side of the net.
Corinne DeBoard (Centralia, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) notched five kills, while Regan Reed (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornell), Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon), Katelin Peters (New Berlin, Ill./New Berlin) and Katelyn Linderbaum (Castalia, Iowa/Postville) all had three apiece.
Libero Jordyn Fox (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) racked up a team-high 29 digs. Reed and Megan Masching (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) tallied 17 and 12, respectively.
Setter Faith Catour (Orion, Ill./Orion) registered 11 assists and had solo block. Peters notched two solo blocks, while Reed and Alyvia Gannon (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln) each landed an ace.
On the other side of the net, Regina Guehlstorf racked up a team-high 13 kills for the visiting Bucs. Katrina Sanchez added seven kills. Setters Abbie Schmidt and Cora Linos each had assists. Jade Mosquera posted a team-high 25 digs and Sanchez followed with 20.
Eureka led by as many as four at two different points in the third set. Tied at 9-9, the Red Devils scored the next four points, prompting a Beloit timeout at 13-9.
Jasmin Bowers came back with a kill out of the timeout, but Reed answered with a kill on the next play to make it 14-10.
After that, though, the Bucs rallied back, scoring the next three to make it a one-point game. The Red Devils called timeout, but Beloit went on a 6-2 run and to force EC to regroup again.
A Guelstorf kill on the next play gave the visitors a four-point advantage. Eureka answered by claiming five of the next six points. Shell and Peters each came up with big kills during the run.
However, Beloit put the match away by scoring four of the next five points.
On Saturday, Eureka (2-7) will be hosting a tri-match on its home court. The Red Devils will take on Principia (0-3) at 12 p.m. Principia will then face Illinois Tech (3-4), and Eureka will conclude the day against Illinois Tech at 4:30 p.m.
