Red Devils’ Unbeaten Start Ends Against No. 3 St. Thomas
EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday night, falling in straight sets to NAIA No. 3 St. Thomas (Fla.), 27-25, 25-16, 25-12.
The opening set featured momentum swings from both sides. Eureka went point-for-point with the Bobcats early before St. Thomas created separation with a 9-3 surge to build a 19-11 advantage. The Red Devils answered in a big way, rattling off 12 of the next 15 points to storm back in front 23-22 late in the set.
After St. Thomas tied the score at 23-23, Maddox Kluesner (Magna, Utah/Stansbury) delivered a kill to put Eureka within a point of the set. A Red Devil service error kept the Bobcats alive, but Mason Johnson (Grove City, Minn./Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) responded with a kill to give Eureka a 25-24 edge. St. Thomas had the final push, however, scoring the last three points to escape with a 27-25 win.
St. Thomas carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Eureka trimmed the deficit to 8-5 on a kill from Ignacio Hernandez (Venezuela/Saint Francis Puerto Rico), but the Bobcats steadily pulled away, stretching the margin to 17-7. The Red Devils continued to battle and used a late 4-0 run to close within 23-16, but St. Thomas closed out the set 25-16 to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set followed a similar script, with St. Thomas racing out to a 9-2 advantage. The Bobcats maintained control throughout the frame, keeping Eureka at a distance and finishing off the sweep with a 25-12 victory.
Hernandez led the Red Devils with nine kills and two blocks while hitting .238. Johnson and Kluesner each added seven kills, with Kluesner recording a block and Johnson notching Eureka's lone service ace. Kawehi Kaneakua (Kalihi, Hawaii/University Laboratory School) dished out 26 assists, and libero Kendall Killins (Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East) paced the team with seven digs.
UP NEXT
Eureka hosts the Midwest Plains Volleyball Conference East Regional on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. Tournament schedules will be announced at a later time.