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For Immediate Release
Nov. 6, 2009
Eureka Volleyball Set For First SLIAC Tournament
EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka College volleyball team will participate in its first SLIAC Tournament on Saturday in St. Louis, Mo. when the third-seeded Red Devils square off against second-seeded Greenville at 4 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. Top-seed and tournament host Webster will play fourth-seeded Fontbonne at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal. The winners will play for the tournament title at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The SLIAC Tournament bid is Eureka’s first since joining the nine-team league in the fall of 2006 and first postseason tournament appearance of any kind by the Red Devils since earning the #3 seed in the 2005 Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Tournament. The Red Devils are 1-6 against Greenville in SLIAC play since 2006, including a 0-2 mark this season. Eureka’s lone SLIAC victory over Greenville came on Oct. 16, 2007.
The Red Devils finished the 16-game SLIAC schedule with an 8-8 record, a four-game improvement in league play after posting a 4-12 mark in 2008. Eureka finished the season with an overall record of 12-21, an eight-game improvement from its 4-30 overall record last fall.
“I couldn’t be happier with my team as a whole this season,” third-year head coach Sandi Kelley said. “They work hard for me every day and play with a tremendous amount of heart.”
A trio of seniors has contributed to Eureka’s improvement in 2009. Outside hitter Heather Myers (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) has paced the offense, putting down a league-best 371 kills. She enters Saturday’s league tournament with 1,253 career kills to rank third on the all-time Eureka list behind Stephanie Logan Morstatter (1,379) and Carrie Eisenbarth Matthews (1,343).
Laura Willman (Metamora, Ill./Metamora H.S.), who made the switch from defensive specialist to setter this season, joins Spalding’s Allison Woosley as the only players in the conference to finish among the top-five in service aces and assists this season. Willman’s 57 service aces rank second among SLIAC players and her 773 assists rank fifth. She has 137 service aces in her four-year career, tied for seventh-most all-time at Eureka.
First-year player Lauren Snopek (Metamora, Ill./Metamora H.S.) has anchored Eureka’s back line this season with a league-best 660 digs. A transfer from Illinois Central College last fall, Snopek played basketball for Eureka last season before joining the volleyball team this fall to become a two-sport athlete in 2009-10.
The Red Devils have received solid contributions from their underclassmen as well. The only player on the team to play in all 123 sets during the season, junior Paige Fannon (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S.) ranks third in the SLIAC with 75 total blocks and fifth with 28 solo blocks. Junior Kaurie Lindenmeyer (Arcola, Ill./Arcola H.S.) ranks 10th in the league with 3.22 digs per set and her overall total of 380 ranks ninth.
“There is no doubt we are where we are now because of our deep roster,” Kelley said. “Our practices are very competitive and that has prepared us well for tough matches down the stretch.”
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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