Volleyball completes season sweep over Eureka and Fontbonne

Elsah, ILL. -- The Panthers secured two more season sweeps against Eureka and Fontbonne, putting them at 18-4 for the season, and 11-3 in SLIAC. These wins secure a spot in the post season SLIAC tourney for the Panthers, the first time since 2013. In the Eureka match, Principia controlled game one with gritty defense and a dynamic offense earning a 25-16 win. Eureka came out blocking well and finding some good spots to score in game two. That combined with too many missed serves from the Panthers created an "opportunity" to come from 13-17 to take game two 25-22 (a 12-5 run). Principia found their rhythm once again in game three and pulled ahead behind six great serves from Noelle Shoemake, and ended up taking the match in three straight sets 25-15.
 
Fontbonne was fresh off of a 2 hour match, and they seemed to take game one "off" while Principia played a tough, hard-hitting smooth game winning 25-13. Fontbonne came back with oomph in game two. They were blocking and picking on holes and serving tough, and they rattled the Panthers for sure. It was a battle with lead changes all over the place, and PC ended up putting the nail in the coffin at 28-26. Game three was no different, with Fontbonne showing such determination and really making it difficult for the Prin women to get their footing. Fontbonne was in the driver's seat all the way to a 25-18 victory. What a crazy sport we play – game four was like a replay of game one with Principia making it look simple and grabbing an uneventful 25-18 win to take the match.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The 100% Club: Cha Cha Fisher hit .389 in the Eureka victory with 7 kills and zero errors. Amanda Roberts was the lone Panther serving 100%!
• The Panthers out-hit Fontbonne .213 to .086 with Emily Tippetts hitting .415 (20 kills) and Sophia Hathaway hitting .368 and a match high 25 kills.
• The Panthers picked up 103 digs, with Libero Mia Gill responsible for 30.

They said it

• "Today was a good chance for us to prove our level of play and focus on our side of the court no matter what was happening on the other side. We got the opportunity to test out new plays we've been working on and exercise our mental discipline." ~Captain Cha Cha Fisher
• From Noelle Shoemake, "We knew there was a lot on the line for us today so we really had to be focused and all in. We started off strong by running a quick offense and switching up our hits. Our defense was strong and we let very few balls drop. At the end of the day it comes down to which team trusts each other and loves each other the most – I believe this is our greatest advantage."

 
Up Next

• The Panthers host Greenville Tuesday October 17th at 7:00pm!