|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
For Immediate ReleaseVolleyball -- Sept. 23, 2011
Spalding Sweeps Eureka Volleyball
EUREKA, Ill. -- Defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Spalding used late bursts to secure victories in each of the first two games and held off a late rally from Eureka College in game three to earn a 25-17, 25-11, 25-21 SLIAC victory over the Red Devils, Friday night at the Reagan Center.
Game one featured six ties and three lead changes. The visitors led by as many as three (7-4) in the early going, but the Red Devils answered with a 7-1 run and took their first lead of the match when senior middle blocker Brittany Feger (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth H.S.) put down kills on consecutive rallies for a 9-8 Eureka advantage. Eureka led by two (14-12) after back-to-back Spalding attack errors broke the sixth tie of the game, but the Golden Eagles closed the frame with a flurry. April Fisher’s kill ignited a 13-3 run from Spalding to close the game with 25-17 win and an early lead in the match.
Spalding (6-8, 3-0 SLIAC) maintained the momentum to begin the second game, sprinting to an early 6-1 lead. The Red Devils slowly closed the gap, however, and forced an 11-11 tie behind a Feger kill and a Spalding attack error. The run by Eureka would be short-lived, as Spalding scored 14 straight points to close game two with a 25-11 win and take a commanding lead in the match.
Eureka (2-9, 1-3 SLIAC) controlled the beginning of game three and led by as many as three (5-2) after a Spalding ball-handling error. Spalding battled back to force a tie on three different occasions before a kill from Alex Marquardt gave the Golden Eagles a 10-9 lead that would hold up for the remainder of the game. The Red Devils threatened to come back in the latter stages of the game when Feger’s kill brought the Red Devils within three (24-21), but Allison Dietzman’s kill secured Spalding’s third straight SLIAC win to open the season and seventh straight league win dating back to 2010.
Feger and junior outside hitter Kelli Dunne (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods H.S./Illinois Central) shared team-high honors with eight kills apiece. Dunne led all Red Devils with 11 digs and senior setter Annette Crady (Germantown Hills, Ill./Metamora H.S.) recorded all 20 of Eureka’s assists.
The Red Devils will return to SLIAC action with a pair of matches on Saturday. Eureka will host Principia at the Reagan Center at 10 a.m. before playing its second match of the day at 4 p.m. against Fontbonne.
NOTES: Eureka has now dropped 18 straight games to the Golden Eagles and is 0-6 in the all-time SLIAC series ... Eureka junior Lindsey Hinshaw (Hudson, Ill./Normal West H.S.) made her first appearance of the season in the second game ... Sophomore outside hitter Peyton McAtee (Morton, Ill./Morton H.S.) put down four kills without an error in 11 attempts to raise her season hitting percentage to a team-high .237 ... Spalding is in the final year of a three-year NCAA Division III provisional period and will become eligible for postseason play in 2012 ... Counting their four-set win over Principia in Friday’s doubleheader nightcap, the Golden Eagles are 33-3 in conference play since joining the SLIAC in 2009.
###
For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
|
|---|
|
|---|
