Record setter for Brinson on a day the Eutectics drop a pair

ST. LOUIS, MO – Despite two losses, it will likely be a day Jenna Brinson never forgets. The longtime Eutectic setter fulfilled her quest to become to the new all-time UHSP career assist leader as she piled up 73 assists on the day. She entered the day needing just 18 to surpass Kaitlyn LaBoube's school record of 2,869. Brinson has missed only three matches in her brilliant career and now stands atop the schools assist list. The fact that UHSP dropped a pair on Saturday was almost an afterthought as both Mission and Crowley's Ridge knocked off the Eutectics.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

MISSION def. UHSP; 22-25, 30-28, 25-18, 25-19

• The opening set was a game of UHSP grabbing a lead, watching Mission crawl to within striking distance, but the Eutectics able to pull away again. Joleigh Parker rattled off four service points to lead 7-3, but Mission narrowed the margin to 10-8. UHSP scored two, but Mission scored three to make it 12-11. After an attack error from MU it was 15-12, but two UHSP errors later saw Mission tie things at 16-16. UHSP promptly went on a 5-0 run as Parker served another four-straight points to open a 21-16 lead. UHSP was able to hold on to claim the set as Jenna Brinson set up Tera Schumacher for the set clincher at 25-22.
• The second was tight early with UHSP grabbing a slim lead. The record-clinching assist for Brinson came at 11-7 in the set as she set up Schumacher for a kill on the right side of the net to give Brinson her 2,870^th career assist. The match was temporarily halted as Brinson was honored for the career achievement and received congratulations from her teammates, coaches and the fans. Later in the set, Brinson fed Sophia Michaud as the Euts led 16-13, but four consecutive by Mission gave them a 17-16 advantage. It was tied at each of the next three possible spots, but at 19-19 the Eutectics scored five of the next six to put the set on set point. Mission recorded a pair of aces and used a pair of UHSP errors to pull even at 24-24. Each team had set points until it reached 28-all and Mission got a kill and an ace to put the set in their column, 30-28. Mission hit at a match-high 28.6% in the set.
• A 3-1 lead in the third was quickly erased as Mission scored six in a row. UHSP eventually cut the gap to one at 11-10 on a Hannah Kynaston kill and Sumanpreet Kaur later eventually tied it at 15-15 with a kill. Mission however went on a 10-3 run to cap an unexpected end to the set at 25-18.
• The Patriots had an early 9-0 run in the fourth to take a 10-2 lead. UHSP battled back though and got two kills from Schumacher and one each from Michaud and Kaur to eventually close to the deficit to two at 16-14. Ten points later it was still a two-point match at 21-19, but the Patriots got an ace, a USHP error and two aces to take the final set 25-19.
• Sophia Michaud has continued to produce for UHSP since returning from an injury. She led the Eutectics with 14 kills.
• Shelby Evans led three double-digit kill getters for MU with 19.
• Hannah Duggan dug up 15 balls for UHSP.
• Hannah Maxwell had 36 assists for the Patriots. Karsyn Ryan added 21 digs.
• The Eutectics finished with a better hitting percentage than Mission, 17.3% to 16.5%. MU finished though with nine more kills than UHSP (57-48).
• Mission had 16 aces to six for UHSP

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

CROWLEY'S RIDGE def. UHSP; 25-13, 25-22, 25-17

• Four early kills to start the match saw the Pioneers build an 8-2 lead in the opening set. After kills by Hannah Kynaston and Sumanpreet Kaur, CRC went on a set-altering 10-1 run to lead 18-5. Another 4-0 run after as Pioneer error and it was 22-6 as CRC took the opener 25-13.
• The second got off to a similar start as the visitors claimed seven of the first ten points. Three Tera Schumacher kills and one from Kynaston and Kaur eventually saw UHSP level the score at 10-10 as Brinson piled up five assists in a Eutectic 7-3 run. The match was tied five times over the ensuing dozen points. Crowley's Ridge scored four out of five after the match was even at 16-16, but the Eutectics countered by claiming five of the next seven and it was all squared at 22-22 after a Kynaston kill. CRC got a kill from Amiyah Saxton and a pair of Eutectic error to sell the set at 25-22.
• The pattern continued in the third with Crowley's Ridge taking the early lead (9-3) and the Eutectics storming back to make things close (10-8). A 7-2 spurt by the Pioneers made it 17-10, but Kynaston and Schumacher registered kills around a CRC error and it was a four-point set at 17-13. That was as close as UHSP would get as the Pioneers closed out the three-set sweep at 25-17. It was the best offensive set of the match for CRC as they swung at a 41.9% clip.
• UHSP was respectable on offense with a hitting percentage of 21.3%, but Crowley's Ridge was just a little bit better at 33.0%
• Amiyah Saxton had 15 kills and a hitting percentage of 45.2% to lead the Pioneers.
• Tera Schumacher had a dozen kills to lead UHSP and Hannah Kynaston added 11. Kynaston hit at 40.9%, Schumacher at 34.8%.
• Jenna Brinson dished out 30 assists in the match and her now school record total sits at 2,925.
• Jillian Glasgow and Maddie Burris combined for 36 assists for CRC.
• MaKenzie Uribe had 28 digs on the day in the two matches combined.
• Crowley's Ridge had eight service errors to three for UHSP.

NEXT UP:

The Eutectics (5-22, 4-8 AMC) will play out the final seven games of the regular season all on the road. Up first is a stop at Culver-Stockton (8-20, 3-13 HEART) on Tuesday at 5:00p. That will be followed by three matches in two days as UHSP faces conference foe Central Baptist on Friday and then on Saturday in Paragould, AR will face both Columbia and Hannibal-LaGrange in an AMC tri-match.