Eureka Falls to Greenville, Augustana in Saturday Tri-Match

GREENVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka men's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches against NCAA Division III opponents Greenville and Augustana on Saturday in Greenville.

GAME 1: Greenville 3, Eureka 1

Greenville set the tone early in the opening set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and maintaining control throughout a 25-18 win. Eureka responded briefly with a kill from Claude Paras (Philippines/Canyon Springs) and an ace by Jayden Belanger (Las Vegas, Nev./Northwest CTA) to cut the deficit to 10-6, but the Panthers held firm down the stretch.

The second set followed a similar pattern, as Greenville raced out to an 8-2 advantage. Eureka closed within 9-5 behind back-to-back kills from Maddox Kluesner (Magna, Utah/Stansbury) and later trimmed the deficit to 20-16 with help from Javier Polacio (Colombia/CBCPM) and Kenyel Vazquez Ortiz (Cidra, P.R./Englewood). Despite the late push, Greenville held on for a 25-21 set win.

Eureka broke through in the third set after battling back from another early deficit. A kill by Vazquez Ortiz tied the set at 12-12 before an attacking error gave the Red Devils their first lead of the match. Kluesner followed with a kill and consecutive aces to give Eureka a 16-13 advantage. Greenville closed within one at 21-20, but Eureka scored the final four points, highlighted by an ace and kill from Mason Johnson (Grove City, Minn./Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City), to secure a 25-20 set victory.

In the fourth set, Greenville once again surged early, building a 7-2 lead. Eureka narrowed the gap to 11-9, but the Panthers pulled away late to claim the set 25-16 and the match.

Kluesner led Eureka with 11 kills, two aces, and three blocks. Johnson added seven kills and two aces. Kawehi Kaneakua (Kalihi, Hawaii/University Laboratory School) dished out 36 assists, while Kendall Killins (Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East) recorded a team-high 13 digs.

GAME 2: Augustana 3, Eureka 1

The opening set was tightly contested before Augustana used a late run to take control. Leading 20-15, the Vikings held off a brief Eureka rally and secured a 25-22 win.

Eureka answered in the second set, jumping out to a 10-6 lead. After Augustana pulled within one, the Red Devils responded with a 6-1 run to build a 20-14 advantage, highlighted by a kill from Killins. Eureka closed out the set strong, taking it 25-19 to even the match.

Augustana regained momentum in the third set, turning a narrow 11-9 edge into a commanding 24-16 lead. Eureka managed a short run late, but the Vikings finished off the set 25-19.

In the fourth set, Augustana quickly moved ahead 5-0. Eureka battled back with a 7-1 run to tie the set at 14-14, fueled by kills from Johnson, Killins, and Jayden Miyahira (Kalihi, Hawaii/Radford). An ace from Killins gave Eureka a 15-14 lead, and the teams traded points down the stretch. Eureka reached set point at 24-23 following another Killins ace, but Augustana responded with four of the final five points to take the set 27-25 and secure the match.

Killins led Eureka with 13 kills and added four blocks, while Johnson contributed 10 kills. Kaneakua recorded 27 assists, and Miyahira finished with five blocks.

UP NEXT

Eureka travels to Bloomington on Thursday to face Illinois Wesleyan's JV team at 6 p.m.