No. 3 Pirates Drop a Set to Eutectics

ST. LOUIS, MO. – The Eutectic men's volleyball team hosted the No. 3-ranked undefeated Park Pirates (16-0) from Parkville, Mo., on Friday night for a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup. While the Pirates will return home with the win, the Eutectics won their first-ever set off the Park team, which is traditionally a top-ranked program.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

Park def. UHSP 25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20

• The Pirates wasted no time taking a lead in Set 1, putting together a six-point run to go up 7-2, then getting to set point with four-straight kills and winning the set at 25-17.
• Despite the first-set loss, the Eutectics returned to the court for Set 2 putting up four blocks, a kill from Grant Hoover and an ace from RJ Dilks to go up 6-0. The Eutectic front row wall racked up seven blocks in the set (four from Cameron Werner) and effectively forced 11 attacking errors by the Pirates. Meanwhile, the UHSP attackers, led by Hoover's four kills, hit at .316, winning 10 of 19 attacks. The Eutectics evened the match at a set apiece, stunning the Pirates with a 25-19 second set win.
• The Pirates took a small lead to start Set 3, but Gabriel Schneekloth notched a kill followed by a block to tie the score at 7-7. The Park attackers eventually found their groove, however, and finished off the set with a score of 25-15 with a .417 attacking average.
• In Set 4, the Pirates continued to use their height advantage to score, as the Eutectics struggled with errors. They won the set at 25-20 to clinch the match.
• The Eutectic front line notched 15 blocks in the match, led by Werner's six block assists on the night. Werner also recorded two service aces. Hoover led the attackers with nine kills, RJ Dilks picked up 12 assists, and Xavier Gamayo had six digs.     
• Park's Adrian Figueroa recorded 16 kills in the match to lead the visitors to 50 total kills on 101 attempts.

UP NEXT:

The Eutectics are now 6-7 overall and hold a record of 3-4 in the Conference. They will next host No. 5-ranked Missouri Valley College (11-1, 4-1 HEART) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the UHSP gymnasium.