Eutectics Men’s Volleyball Splits Day Two of the Heart of America Challenge

Eutectics Men's Volleyball Splits Day Two of the Heart of America Challenge

After suffering a tough loss on Friday to St. Ambrose, the Eutectics were looking for some redemption on day two. They found it in their first match of the day against Brescia (3-3), winning in four sets. Unfortunately, they did not fare as well in their second match against a very tough, undefeated Campbellsville team (6-0), falling in three straight sets.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

UHSP def. Brescia; 25-21, 25-16, 24-26, 25-16

• The Eutectics could not seem to find their groove, or the court, on offense to start the first set and quickly found themselves down 6-1. However, a pair of kills from Grant Hoover, a kill from Zachary Gavrick, an ace from Cameron Werner, and a couple of errors from Brescia reset the score to 6 and gave the Euts the confidence they needed. They tied three more times in the set before the Euts finally took control of the set. UHSP hit just .100 in the set, but it was enough to beat the Bearcats' negative .036 attacking percentage.
• UHSP turned the tables in the second set and took a quick 7-0 lead with RJ Dilks at the service line. They extended their lead to eight and held the Bearcats to that deficit and a negative .222 attacking percentage for the set.
• The third set was tight; the Eutectics had a slight lead for most of the first half of the set, but Brescia's five-point run put the game even at 17. The two teams found themselves tied several times after that. Grant Hoover and Cooper Hansen stayed tough at the net with late kills to keep it close, but the Bearcats eked out the win to extend the match.
• A quick kill from Cameron Werner gave the home team the lead in the fourth set, and they did not relinquish it again. Zachary Gavrick put the nail in the coffin with the final kill of the match, set up by RJ Dilks.
• Grant Hoover had his first double-double of the season, leading the Eutectics both offensively and defensively with 14 kills and 15 digs. Cooper Hansen and Zachary Gavrick also reached double-digit kills with 13 and 10, respectively. RJ Dilks notched 3 service aces and 17 assists, while Gabriel Schneekloth tallied 21 assists. Cameron Werner led the charge at the net with six blocking assists and a solo block.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

Campbellsville def. UHSP; 25-17, 25-12, 25-18

• The Eutectics knew they had their work cut out for them in this match, having lost to Campbellsville in their last two meetings. It looked promising in the first set, as the Eutectics worked their way to a 12-10 lead. However, four consecutive Euts' attacking errors gave the Tigers the momentum, and they took advantage of it, racking up four blocks over just seven rallies.
• The Tigers dominated set two, hitting .476 and holding the Purple and Gold to just seven kills, all of which came from Grant Hoover (4) and Cooper Hansen (3).
• The Eutectics started strong in set three, taking a 3-0 lead with Dilks serving. The Tigers tied it up at 3, and the two teams exchanged the next few points, but Campbellsville took a slight lead and did not let it go. The Eutectics kept it close, but UHSP's offensive struggles against a tough Tigers' offense were too much to overcome.
• The Eutectics hit zero in the match while the Tigers hit .219. Grant Hoover led the offense and had his third consecutive match with double-digit kills with 12. RJ Dilks and Gabriel Schneekloth each tallied 11 assists, and Xavier Gamayo picked up 8 digs.

NEXT UP:

The Eutectics host fourth-ranked Georgetown College (1-2) on Saturday, February 7^th at 11:00 am. Come for the Volleyball, stick around for the basketball as our Basketball teams host AMC opponent Williams Baptist University following the match at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm in the UHSP Gymnasium.