Volleyball Splits Doubleheader: Defeats Blackburn in Five, Falls to Greenville in Four

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka volleyball team fell to Greenville in four sets but bounced back with a victory in a thrilling five-set match against Blackburn.

GAME 1 vs. Greenville

The Red Devils lost to Greenville in four sets, with scores of 15-25, 25-22, 14-25, and 22-25.

Eureka stayed competitive early in the first set, cutting the Panthers' lead to 10-9. However, Greenville responded by scoring 15 of the next 21 points to win the opening set. The second set was tightly contested, with neither team able to establish a significant lead. Down the stretch, Eureka claimed four of the final five points to win the set 25-22 and tie the match. Greenville regained control in the third set, leading almost throughout to win 25-14. In the fourth set, the Red Devils fought back, even taking a late 22-21 lead. However, Greenville responded by scoring the final four points to secure the set and the match.

Alyssa Company (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln Community) led the Red Devils with 13 kills and added two solo blocks. Hallee Gauna (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) contributed a game-high three solo blocks, while Claire Schaffner (Delavan, Ill./Delavan) led the team with 15 assists. Cloee O'Donoghue (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) led Eureka with 11 digs.

GAME 2 vs. Blackburn

Eureka defeated Blackburn in the second match of the day in a thrilling five-set battle, with set scores of 20-25, 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, and 15-11.

Blackburn started strong, winning the first set 25-20. The Red Devils responded by taking the second set 25-19. The third set was close early on, but Eureka rallied to score 12 of the final 13 points, winning 25-15. In the fourth set, Blackburn took a commanding 16-7 lead. Eureka fought back to narrow the gap to just two points, but the Beavers ultimately took the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Eureka began the final set strong, taking a 5-1 lead after a kill and two service aces from Alyssa Company. Blackburn evened the score at 8-8, but a bad set by Blackburn followed by back-to-back kills from Frannie Heckman (Benson, Ill./Roanoke-Benson) gave Eureka an 11-8 lead. The Red Devils capitalized on this lead, winning the set 15-11 with kills from Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) and Hallee Gauna.

Alyssa Company again led Eureka with 18 kills, while Hallee Gauna added 15 kills. Cloee O'Donoghue led the Red Devils for the second straight game with 16 digs, and Lexi Liaromatis (Wilmington, Ill./Wilmington) recorded a game-high three service aces. Claire Schaffner contributed 18 assists, while Chelsea Beck (Clay City, Ill./Clay City) added 14 assists.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will head to Webster on Tuesday, Oct. 29, for a 7:00 p.m. match against the Gorloks.