For Immediate Release

eureka, illinois

October 7, 2008

Eureka shows strong hitting despite offensive result

Boxscore

Maryville University erased a seven point second set deficit en route to denying Eureka College a critical conference win Tuesday night. The Saints prevailed on the Red Devils' home floor for the second time this season, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-15).

Maryville (8-14, 7-4 SLIAC) led early in the opening set, but Eureka (3-22, 3-5 SLIAC) came back with five straight points thanks to Saints' errors on four consecutive swings leading to a 9-7 EC edge. Eureka went on to pad its lead to 12-9, though it proved to be only a small hill to climb for Maryville. The Saints stormed out to a 22-15 advantage by winning 13 of the next 16 points and held on for an eight point win.

The best play of the match came in the second set as both sides recorded impressive hitting percentages. Maryville hit at a .385 clip, while Eureka registered .265. Heather Myers (Eureka, Ill./HS) was a major force in the EC attack, with seven kills and no errors in nine attempts in the set. Eureka raced out to a 15-7 lead, looking primed to even the match at a set apiece.

The Red Devils were still in great shape when the score stood at 19-13, but they would score just three points the rest of the way, while Maryville pocketed 12. The Maryville rally was not due necessarily to Eureka letting loose of its grasp, but more so to the precision of the Saints' hitting. Maggie Hoette, who ended with a match-high 20 kills and a .581 hitting percentage, recorded 10 kills with no errors in the second set alone to fuel the comeback.

Eureka improved its hitting in the third set, but still could not get back into the match. In fact, the Red Devils were charged with only five errors in the last two sets combined, making their total 12 for the match, which was three less than Maryville. Brittany Feger (Heyworth, Ill./HS) exemplified the EC attack, recording four kills on five attempts in the third stanza. The Saints would not let their guard down, however, taking seven consecutive points for a 7-1 lead and never looking back in the final set.

Myers led Eureka with 11 kills, giving her at least 10 kills for her fourth match in a row. Her .556 hitting percentage on the night ranks as her best of the season thus far. Feger finished with seven kills and a .429 percentage. Kaurie Lindenmeyer (Arcola, Ill./HS) and Kylie Bahorik (Washington, Ill./Peoria Central) ended with 10 digs each. Bahorik also added in 19 set assists and a pair of service aces.

The Red Devils will play their next five matches away from home, starting with two Saturday, October 11 at Principia College. Eureka will take on conference leading Webster University at 11:00 am, then challenge Principia at 1:30 pm.

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For More Information Contact:

Brian Sullivan
Sports Information Director
Eureka College
300 E. College Avenue
Eureka, Illinois 61530
309-467-6456
bsullivan@eureka.edu