Eureka Keeps it Close, Falls to Grinnell, 3-0
EUREKA – The Eureka volleyball team tangled with a solid Grinnell in non-conference play on Wednesday and fell short in three competitive sets.
The final scores were 25-18, 25-19, 25-17.
The Red Devils were playing in the second match of back-to-back home non-conference showdowns this week, and the team raised its game considerably from Tuesday's 3-0 loss against Lake Forest.
Eureka hit .144 as a team and notched 29 kills compared to 15 the night before.
Freshman Frannie Heckman (Benson, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) tallied a match-high eight kills while hitting .300 at the net. Sophomore Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) was right behind her, posting seven kills and coming up with 10 digs.
Alexis Charlton (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) claimed six kills for the second straight night, while Daizjah Shannon (East St. Louis, Mo./Cahokia/Lincoln) put down five kills on 10 swings without committing a single hitting error.
Setter Sara Hart (Secor, Ill./Eureka) distributed a team-high 16 assists. Fellow setter Hope McGinnes (Mackinaw, Ill./Deer Creek-Mackinaw/Lincoln) led the team with 13 digs and had nine assists.
LaNya Love (East St. Louis, Ill./Cahokia/Lincoln) recorded a pair of solo blocks.
On the other side of the net, the Pioneers hit .315 and put down 45 kills. Setter Emily Brewer registered 30 assists, libero Payton Lowery delivered a match-high 21 digs and Haley Taka tied Heckman's match-high eight kills.
The Red Devils were right with the Pioneers in the first set and had it locked up at 18-18, but a kill by Jenna Keller started a 7-0 run to end it.
Eureka stayed with the visitors through the first 30 points in the second set, but this time the Pioneers got hot midway through and found some separation. By the time the Red Devils claimed five of the last eight points, Grinnell was too far ahead to catch in time.
The Pioneers jumped out to an early five-point lead in the final set. Four was the closest EC could get the rest of the way.
The Red Devils (7-17, 2-9 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) will next look to complete a season series sweep of Principia (0-14, 0-12) on the road on Saturday. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
