Pioneers Forge Win over Eutectics

In their second match in Arkansas in as many days, the UHSP Eutectics fell to American Midwest Conference (AMC) newcomer Crowley's Ridge College in straight sets on Saturday afternoon in AMC volleyball action. The CRC Pioneers, now ranked seventh in the AMC with a record of 8-13 overall and 4-5 in the AMC, won on their home court in Paragould with scores of 25-12, 25-11, 25-17.

The Eutectics got out quickly to start the first set up 4-1 after a kill by Hannah Kynaston (set by Jenna Brinson) and an ace from Macy Hendrix. The Pioneers fought their way back to a 4-4 tie, then rallied to a 12-7 lead after a series of offensive kills and aces. Eventually, the Home Team had put 10 points between the two team totals, going up 20-10, then finished off the first set by winning the final four points in a row, culminating in a kill by Brooklynn Passmore (from Jadyn Hesse) for a 25-12 victory.

Down 3-2 in the second set, a five-point scoring run gave the Pioneers a significant advantage at 7-3. Later, up 9-6, the CRC team won 12 of the next 14 points to pull ahead 20-7. The deficit proved too big for the Eutectics to surmount, falling 25-11 to CRC in Set 2 to head into the third set down 2-0.

The Pioneers held onto the momentum to start the third set up 5-2. But, the Eutectics rallied after a CRC error with a kill by Kynaston and an ace from Tera Schumacher to tie up the score at five apiece. Crowley's Ridge would not let up, however, as their offense was able to find the open court and take a 15-9 lead after earning four points in a row off three kills and an ace. The UHSP team would come within four points after a Sophia Michaud kill (from Schumacher) and an AnnMarie Cates service ace put the score at 18-14. But, despite the efforts of the Purple and Gold, the Pioneers would not be deterred, keeping their eye on the goal of closing out the set and the match. The Home Team put together a kill and a double block to finish out the last two points of the match and win the set at 25-17.

AnnMarie Cates recorded the most kills for the Eutectics, racking up six on 14 attempts for a .286 average. Brinson picked up 12 assists, while Macy Hendrix tallied 19 digs.

The Eutectics, now 3-30 overall, have one more regular season match of the season scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis. Neither team has yet won a Conference match, so it is the last chance for either to tick the AMC win column this season.