CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Lyon College Scots volleyball team battled the Eureka College Red Devils in day one of the Blackburn College Invitational but came up short, falling in four sets, 25-21, 25-15, 18-25 and 25-11.The Scots showed resilience in the third set, responding with a 25-18 victory to extend the match, but Eureka answered in the fourth to secure the conference win. With the loss, Lyon moves to 6-19 overall and 1-9 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) play.
Set One: Eureka 25, Lyon 21
The Scots opened the match with a competitive first set, keeping pace with the Red Devils through a closely contested frame. Lyon recorded 11 kills while hitting .194, matching Eureka's 11 kills during the set. The opening frame featured three ties and one lead change as both teams worked to establish control.
Paige Molloy and Pascha Wistrand helped lead the Lyon attack, while Ryan Russell contributed offensively and at the net. The Scots remained within striking distance throughout the set, but Eureka managed to create enough separation late to secure the 25-21 opening-set victory.
Set Two: Eureka 25, Lyon 15
Eureka gained momentum in the second set, using a more consistent offensive performance to extend its advantage. The Red Devils recorded 14 kills and hit .205, while Lyon struggled to find its offensive rhythm, finishing with five kills and a .032 hitting percentage.
Despite the offensive difficulties, Molloy continued to provide an attacking presence for the Scots. Ella Gardner worked to distribute the ball throughout the lineup, finishing the match with 26 assists. Eureka maintained control of the frame and closed out the set 25-15 to take a two-set lead.
Set Three: Lyon 25, Eureka 18
Lyon responded in the third set with one of its strongest offensive performances of the afternoon. The Scots recorded 11 kills while limiting Eureka to 10 kills and forcing nine attack errors. Both teams battled throughout the frame, but Lyon found its rhythm offensively and took advantage of Eureka's struggles at the net.
Molloy continued her productive afternoon, while Keeley Beary and Wistrand contributed important kills. Lyon's defensive effort also helped shift momentum, with Chaney McCance collecting digs to keep rallies alive. The Scots hit .194 in the set while holding Eureka to a .023 hitting percentage, earning a 25-18 victory to extend the match.
Set Four: Eureka 25, Lyon 11
The Red Devils responded in the fourth set, producing their most efficient offensive performance of the match. Eureka recorded 16 kills on 31 attacks with just four errors, hitting .387 as a team.
Lyon struggled to regain the momentum from the previous set, finishing with six kills and a .048 hitting percentage. The Scots continued to compete, but Eureka's offensive efficiency proved difficult to overcome. The Red Devils pulled away to secure the 25-11 victory and close out the match in four sets.
Molloy led the Scots offensively with 10 kills on 25 attacks, hitting .280, while Wistrand added nine kills and three total blocks. Beary contributed five kills without committing an attack error, finishing with a .417 hitting percentage. Russell added four kills and five block assists, while Nevaeh Ghan recorded two kills and a block assist.
Gardner paced the Lyon offense with 26 assists and added seven digs. McCance anchored the defensive effort with a team-high 13 digs, while Sofia Santis contributed seven digs and three assists. Locke added three service aces, and Molloy finished with seven digs and a service ace.
As a team, Lyon finished with 33 kills, seven service aces, 50 digs and 16 block assists. Eureka recorded 54 kills and 67 digs, using its offensive efficiency to secure the four-set victory.
Scots will stay in Carlinville, IL for day two of the invitational starting tomorrow Saturday, October 31st as they face the hosting Blackburn Beavers at 12:00 PM and Greenville University Panthers at 2:00 PM.
