2026 Volleyball Preview: Eureka in position to be HOIC power once again

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WHERE CENTRAL ILLINOIS PLAYS ITS BIGGEST GAMES

EUREKA — Eureka volleyball checked several big boxes last season.

The Hornets won the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament, their first regional title since 2018 and over 30 games in a challenging schedule. Making each of those feats more impressive is that Eureka dealt with several injuries and the losses of several key players to graduation.

Now, the Hornets are loading up the wagon with several returning players that made big impressions in 2025 alongside outside hitter Emme Otto, who missed a majority of last season with an injury. After seeing fellow Heart of Illinois Conference squads such as Tremont, Tri-Valley and El Paso-Gridley make deep postseason runs in recent years, Eureka believes it could be their turn to make a statement.

Setter Ellie Payne and libero Krissa Agnew, who were both Clutch Sports Media All-Area Honorable Mention selections last season, help form a nucleus that also includes Otto and outside hitters Gaba Musselman and Anika Schrock. 

Hear from Dohner, Payne, Otto and Musselman and get to know about this year’s Eureka volleyball team in its season preview below:

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© 2025 Clutch Sports Media, LLC.

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Originally published by clutchsportsil.com. Reporting by Jonathan Michel. Read the full story at clutchsportsil.com.