Red Devils Defeat Knox to Extend Win Streak

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches on Tuesday night, defeating Knox in four sets at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.

The Red Devils opened the first set with an early lead behind kills from Alyssa Company (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln Community) and Colbie Grieff (South Wilmington, Ill./Gardner South-Wilmington), capitalizing on Prairie Fire errors to go up 6-2. However, Knox answered with a run of their own and went on to take the opening set for Knox, 25-21.

Eureka responded with a dominant performance in the second set. Behind a career-best hitting performance from Company (.645), the Red Devils surged ahead with an early seven-point run. Three consecutive kills from Company and numerous errors by Knox helped Eureka finish the set with a 25-15 win and even the match.

The third set followed a similar pattern. After the score was tied at 8-8, the Red Devils went on a six-point run, highlighted by a service ace Kaitlyn Robinson (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) and a block by Maleaha Nagel (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon), who recorded the second-most blocks in a match in her career. Knox briefly cut the lead to 14-12, but Eureka responded and capitalized on Knox miscues to finish the set 25-15.

The fourth set began with Knox jumping out to a 3-0 lead, but Eureka quickly evened the score. With the Red Devils' lead trimmed to 19-17, they launched a 6-0 run, fueled by three more kills from Company, to secure the match with a 25-17 win.

Company led the way with 21 kills and a .645 hitting percentage, marking the second-most kills in a match in her career. Robinson dished out a career-high 29 assists and added three service aces. Claire Schaffner (Delavan, Ill./Delavan) contributed 16 assists and a service ace, while Nagel finished with four total blocks. Bre Dixon (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) also stepped up for Eureka, tallying a career-best seven kills.

Up Next

The Red Devils will look to continue their winning streak when they host Concordia Chicago on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:00 p.m.