Eureka Improves to 11-1 With Win Over Bryant & Stratton
EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka men's volleyball team pushed its winning streak to five matches Friday night, bouncing back from a first set loss to defeat Bryant & Stratton in four sets, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21. The Red Devils improved to 11-1 on the season with the victory.
The opening set featured early momentum swings, with Eureka building an 18-14 lead before Bryant & Stratton answered with three straight points to close within one. A kill from Mason Johnson (Grove City, Minn./Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) restored a two-point cushion at 19-17, and Ignacio Hernandez (Venezuela/Saint Francis Puerto Rico) later put the Red Devils back in front 21-20 and 22-21 during a thrilling stretch. Bryant & Stratton, however, closed strong, taking four of the final five points to claim the set 25-23.
Eureka responded quickly in the second. Tied 4-4, the Red Devils used a 6-1 surge to move ahead 10-5 and maintained control despite a late push that cut the margin to 19-18. Eureka seized command with five consecutive points, highlighted by kills from Dyson Wutzke (San Diego, Calif./El Capitan) and Maddox Kluesner (Magna, Utah/Stansbury) and a service ace from Kawehi Kaneakua (Kalihi, Hawaii/University Laboratory School), to build a 24-18 lead. Kluesner capped the set with a kill for a 25-20 win.
Bryant & Stratton jumped out to an 11-6 advantage in the third set, but Eureka answered with six of the next seven points to tie it at 12-12 behind a Kluesner kill and a Hernandez ace. After another tie at 15-15 on a Wutzke ace, Johnson delivered an ace to give Eureka its first lead of the set at 18-17. With the score knotted at 19-19, the Red Devils closed on a 6-0 run, powered by kills from Kluesner, Johnson, and Wutzke, to secure a 25-19 victory in the set.
In the fourth, Bryant & Stratton scored the first two points before Eureka rattled off four straight to take control. An ace from Kendall Killins (Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East) extended the lead to 7-3, and Wutzke followed with another ace for a 9-4 edge. Kluesner's kill pushed the margin to 12-6, and although Bryant & Stratton trimmed the deficit to 20-17, Eureka held firm. Kluesner sealed the match with a kill for a 25-21 victory.
Kluesner led the Red Devils with 14 kills and two blocks while hitting .684. Wutzke and Johnson each added 10 kills, with Johnson also serving four aces and Wutzke recording two blocks. Hernandez contributed nine kills and three blocks. Kaneakua dished out 37 assists, and Killins finished with 11 digs and three aces.
UP NEXT
Eureka returns to action at home Saturday, hosting Greenville at 1 p.m.