Eutectics Split Tri-Match in Iowa

The Eutectic men's volleyball team wrapped up its weekend trip to Iowa with a tri-match in Oskaloosa on Saturday. The day started with the UHSP team taking a straight-set loss to No. 5-ranked host Willam Penn University, then finished off with a neutral match five-set win over Morningside University (Iowa).

The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HEART) match against William Penn was the fourth in a row against a top-10 ranked Conference opponent for the Eutectics. Despite forcing the WPU Statesmen (10-2, 5-1 HEART) into extra points in the first set, the Eutectics eventually lost in three sets at 28-26, 25-14, 25-17.

The Eutectics came out strong, taking a 5-3 lead in Set 1 following kills from Marcus Parker and Dickson Colado and an ace from Colado. The Statesmen followed up with five points in a row, however, off two kills and three UHSP errors to take the lead at 8-5. But, the Eutectics came back with three points in a row of their own off kills from Cameron Werner and Colado (2) to retake the lead at 11-10, then later took advantage of WPU errors to extend that to 15-13. Four kills in a row from the Statesmen put them back on top at 17-15, but a UHSP timeout broke the streak and after another three kills in a row from Colado (with sets from Xavier Gamayo and Cole Cwiklowski), the Euts were back on top at 21-19. A well-timed WPU timeout broke up the Eutectic momentum and eventually, the Statesmen held set point at 24-23. Again, following a UHSP timeout, back-to-back kills from Grant Hoover swung the set point in favor of the Eutectics at 25-24.The Statesmen were able to win the next two points before another Hoover kill tied it at 26 apiece. Ultimately, though, the home team was able to put down two final kills in a row to end the set at 28-26.

The Eutectics went up 4-3 in Set 2, but the Statesmen would win eight of the next nine points to go up 11-5. The UHSP team never really recovered, struggling with consistency to hit at .040 as the WPU attackers found their rhythm hitting at .423. The final set score was 25-14 as they headed into the third set with the home team up 2-0. The Statesmen took a 3-0 lead to start Set 3, holding the lead through to the end. Cooper Hansen put down a kill set up by Cwiklowski to score the final point for the Eutectics at 21-17, as the Statesmen finished out the set with three kills and a block.

Dickson Colado led the Eutectic offense with 11 kills on 28 attempts with only one error to hit at .357. Grant Hoover also hit in double figures with 10 kills in the three-set match, while Cameron Werner picked up three blocks. Cole Cwiklowski recorded 11 digs and also put up 25 assists for the Eutectics.

The second match of the day was a non-conference barn burner with the Morningside Mustangs, going five sets with the Eutectics ultimately claiming the win at 22-25, 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10.

For the first set, the Morningside Mustangs took a small lead early on and, while the Eutectics were able to catch up to tie it at 1, 2, 6, 7, 19, and 20, they ultimately succumbed to the Mustangs, whose attackers found their marks in the final set points for a 25-22 victory. The second set started in a similar vein with ties at 1 and 2, but then a couple of Morningside errors and kills by Colado and Connor Behymer, assisted by Cwiklowski, put the Euts up 4-2 – a lead that the Eutectics would not relinquish. In the end, the Eutectic hitters had fewer attack opportunities than the Mustangs, but were more effective with each swing. Connor Behymer punctuated that stat with a final kill to claim the set for UHSP at 25-18 and even the set score at one apiece.

The Eutectics maintained the momentum through the third set, taking a 5-2 lead following kills from Parker and Werner and an ace from Isaac Gallinero. The Purple and Gold continued in that vein, their strength never wavering in the set, as the Mustangs struggled with errors. With their largest lead at 20-12, the Eutectics earned their final five points off two kills by Werner and three MU errors for win 25-19.

Despite being down 2-1, the Mustangs were not done fighting. After a negative hitting percentage in Set 3, the Morningside hitters turned things around to challenge the Euts with .467 attacking percentage in the Set 4. The Eutectics, hit at a respectable .300, but found themselves down 13-6 after a barrage of kills from Natan Alves and Isaiah Baynes from MU. UHSP fought back to within two points at 19-17 after a Hoover kill and a Werner ace, and at 24-22, a Grant Hoover kill (from Cwiklowski) forced a Morningside timeout at 24-23. The Mustangs returned to court to set up Baynes for the final kill that solidified the set win for Morningside at 25-23 and tied the match at 2-2.

In the abbreviated deciding set, the Eutectics' Colado started things off with two kills that would give UHSP a lead they would not give up. With a 13-7 UHSP lead, Morningside returned from a timeout to score on three Isaiah and Jacob Baynes attacks to make it 13-10. But, it was Grant Hoover who put down the final two points from assists by Cwiklowski and Werner and claim the set at 15-10 for the Eutectifs and win the match.

Three Eutectic attackers hit above .400 in the match, helping the UHSP team average .374 overall, while the Mustangs hovered at .221, thanks in part to solid blocking from UHSP. Grant Hoover had 19 kills on 35 attacks with only four errors to hit at .429, while Cameron Werner converted on 11 of 18 attempts with only one error for a .556 average. Connor Behymer had 10 kills on 22 attempts with no errors to average .455. Marcus Parker was a brick wall at the net, picking up 10 blocks in the match. Xavier Gamayo collected 16 digs and Cole Cwiklowski recorded his second-highest single-match assist total at 50.

After the split Saturday, the Eutectics now hold a record of 11-4 overall and 2-3 in the HEART. They return home to shots three Conference matches in a row, starting with Missouri Valley College (8-2, 3-2 HEART) on Tuesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the UHSP gymnasium.