Women’s Volleyball Drops Final Match at Lady Blue Challenge

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka women's volleyball team closed out its weekend at the IC Lady Blue Challenge with a loss to Augustana on Saturday afternoon, falling 25-10, 25-15, and 26-24.

Augustana (2-1) used a strong serving effort, racking up 13 service aces, to defeat the Red Devils (0-3) and secure their second win of the season. The Vikings opened the first set on a 6-0 run and never looked back, benefiting from early aces by Lanah Queckboerner and a string of Eureka attack errors. A kill by Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) gave Eureka a brief spark, but Augustana's offense, led by Alexis Richards and setter Leah Rizzo, continued to apply pressure. The set ended with a flurry of service aces, including back-to-back efforts by Richards, sealing the 25-10 win for the Vikings.

The Red Devils started the second set with an early advantage, taking a quick 2-0 lead behind consecutive kills from Alyssa Company (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln Community) and Shell, both assisted by Kaitlyn Robinson (Macomb, Ill./Macomb). However, the Vikings quickly turned the tide, capitalizing on Red Devil attack errors to take control. Kills from Alita Folkening and Queckboerner, along with more tough serving, pushed the lead to 18-11. Despite kills by Maleaha Nagel (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) and Colbie Grieff (South Wilmington, Ill./Gardner South-Wilmington), the Red Devils couldn't close the gap, and Augustana secured the second set 25-15.

The third set proved to be the most competitive of the match. After falling behind 2-0, Eureka rallied with kills from Company and Robinson to tie the score at 4-4. The Red Devils then surged ahead, taking a 16-10 lead behind key plays from Cloee O'Donoghue (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) and Frannie Heckman (Benson, Ill./Roanoke-Benson). But the Vikings responded with a late push, fueled by service aces from Alyssa Millan and timely kills from Grace Gustafson. The teams battled point for point until Augustana edged out the 26-24 win to complete the sweep.

Robinson led Eureka with 11 assists and added six digs. Company paced the team with six kills and two blocks. Shell contributed five kills and three digs, while Lexi Liaromatis (Wilmington, Ill./Wilmington) added five digs and an assist.

Up Next

The Red Devils return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 3, when they travel to Indiana to face Franklin at 6:00 p.m.