Eutectics Battle with Statesmen

ST. LOUIS, MO. - To cap off their week of Conference matches against NAIA top-ranked teams, the Eutectic men's volleyball team hosted the No. 5-ranked William Penn University Statesmen (20-3, 13-2 HEART) from Iowa on Saturday. As they did in their first meeting this season in Oskaloosa, the Eutectics challenged the Statesmen, but eventually succumbed to the visitors in straight sets: 25-23, 25-15, 25-19.

The UHSP team matched up with WPU in digs (35 apiece), which made for long and intense rallies, and service errors (WPU 11, UHSP 12). The Statesmen, however, outhit the Euts 35.3% to 18.8% while recording three more blocks (5) and four more aces (6).

The Eutectics came our firing, playing right with the nationally-ranked Statesmen from the start. Cooper Hansen opened it up with a kill assisted by Cole Cwiklowski, who later found Dickson Colado, Grant Hoover, and Hansen (again) to tie the score at 4, 5, 6, and take the lead at 7-6. A couple of WPU errors and two aces from Hansen gave the Euts a 13-9 lead, which they extended to 15-10 after kills from Cameron Werner and Hoover. Up 17-14, the Euts committed three errors in a row to allow the Statesmen to catch up, but the Cwiklowski-to-Hansen combo came through again after a timeout to hold the home team lead at 18-17. WPU put down two kills in a row to take a 20-19 lead, but the Purple and Gold tied it at 20, 21, and 22 off a Statesmen service error and two kills from Hoover (set by Cwiklowski). With a tie score at 23, the Statesmen won the next two points to claim the set, 25-23.

The Statesmen maintained the momentum into the second set, going up 7-3, then 9-5 off mostly kills and aces. After back-to-back kills from Hansen and Colado (from Cwiklowski), the Eutectics were within one point of the Statesmen at 10-9. But, that was a close as they would get in the set, as the WPU offense picked up the pace to go up 20-12. The Statesmen would close out the set at 25-15, winning the last four points with two kills and two aces.   

The Eutectics reset themselves for Set 3, winning the first point off a WPU service error, then forcing WPU to chase them, as neither team could put together two points in a row. With the score at 8-8, the Statesmen finally took over the lead with a kill by Landon Krause, but then committed two attacking errors in a row. When Cameron Werner set up Dickson Colado for an unconventional attack, the Euts notched an 11-9 lead. Again, the Statesmen worked to chase down the Purple and Gold, eventually stringing together four points in a row off four kills to go up 17-14. A UHSP timeout broke up the run with a Hoover kill (from Xavier Gamayo), but after a series of errors by both teams, the Statesmen were up 22-18 and closed out the set at 25-19 by winning three of the last four points for the 3-0 match victory.

Grant Hoover and Dickson Colado each reached double figures in kills for the Eutectics, with 13 and 10, respectively. Cole Cwiklowksi recorded 31 assists and nine digs, while Cameron Werner and Colado each notched a solo block.

Landon Krause finished with 17 kills on 26 attempts with no errors for an attacking percentage of 65.4 for the Statesmen. Setter Matt Helmick racked up 34 assists. 

The Eutectics, now 17-11 (5-9 HEART), will get back on the road next week, starting in Marshall, Mo., for a Conference rematch with Missouri Valley College (16-4, 9-4 HEART) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3.