Red Devils Bounce Back to Defeat Spalding in Four Sets

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka women's volleyball team split a doubleheader on Saturday, falling to MUW in the morning before bouncing back with a four-set victory over Spalding in the afternoon.

Game 1: MUW 3, Eureka 0

Eureka (6-12, 0-7 SLIAC) dropped the morning match to MUW in straight sets, 25-13, 25-22, 25-17, as the Owls got off to a strong start and set the tone for the rest of the match.

After a slow start to open the first set, the Red Devils rallied behind key kills from Alyssa Company (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln Community) to pull within one at 6-5, but MUW pulled away to take the opener 25-13. Eureka battled back in Set 2, keeping pace throughout. Company, Maleaha Nagel (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon), and Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) all recorded key kills, but a late MUW run sealed a 25-22 win in the second set. In the third, Eureka fought back to tie the set at 12 before the Owls responded with a late surge to close out the set, 25-17.

Company led the Red Devils with 13 kills on .346 hitting to go with an ace, while Kaitlyn Robinson (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) tallied 10 assists and an ace. Bre Dixon (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) added 13 assists, and Lexi Liaromatis (Wilmington, Ill./Wilmington) finished with eight digs.

Game 2: Eureka 3, Spalding 1

Eureka (7-12, 1-7 SLIAC) bounced back in the afternoon match, defeating Spalding (4-16, 2-7 SLIAC) in four sets, 27-25, 26-24, 14-25, 25-22, to earn its first conference win of the season.

Eureka came out strong in the opening set, using a 4-0 run to grab an early 8-4 lead. After Spalding rallied to go in front, the Red Devils responded with a key 7-0 run fueled by two aces from Brooklyn Shell, two kills from Hallee Gauna (Arcola, Ill./Arcola), and two kills from Maleaha Nagel to move ahead 20-15. Spalding tied it late at 23 before Gauna and Alyssa Company delivered back-to-back kills to close out the set 27-25.

In Set 2, the Red Devils turned a 2-0 deficit into a 9-3 advantage behind a dominant 9-1 run sparked by four service aces from Lexi Liaromatis and a pair of kills by Company. Eureka extended the lead to 18-9, but Spalding battled back to even it at 24-24 before Gauna tallied a kill and Shell followed with an ace to secure a 26-24 win and a 2-0 set advantage.

Spalding took control early in the third set, jumping to an 8-3 lead and cruising to a 25-14 win, but the Red Devils regrouped in the fourth. The final frame was tight throughout, with Eureka clinging to a 22-21 edge before scoring the last three points to seal the set and the match, 25-22.

Gauna led the Red Devils with 11 kills on .391 hitting and a block. Company added 13 kills and an ace, while Colby Grieff (South Wilmington, Ill./Gardner South-Wilmington) hit .368 with seven kills and two blocks. Shell tallied five aces and seven digs, while Dixon orchestrated the attack with 26 assists and nine digs. Liaromatis posted four aces and nine digs, and Cloee O'Donoghue (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) added two aces and two digs.

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Eureka will close out nonconference play on Tuesday, hosting Harris-Stowe at 6:00 p.m. at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena.