TOPEKA, KS – The Quincy University women's volleyball team dropped two games on opening day of the 2019 season. The Hawks lost 3-1 to Texas Woman's University before falling to (RV) Northwest Missouri State by the same score during day 1 of the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kansas.
 
Game 1
 
1st Set
 
The Hawks fell behind 5-2 early on in their season opener. QU used three straight errors by Texas Woman's to tie the first set at 6-6 before Emma Holt gave the Hawks a spark.
 
The freshman libero from Eureka, Missouri served four straight points in QU's favor, forcing two TWU errors and perfectly placing the first service ace of her career. QU took an 11-8 lead.
 
Both teams went back and forth the rest of the set. Stephanie Mizeur slammed home three kills down the stretch to lead the Hawks to a 27-25 set one victory. 
 
Makayla Knoblauch led the Hawks with 8 assists in the opening set.
 
2nd Set
 
The battle continued into the second set. The Hawks trailed 8-6 before going on a 5-0 run. After taking advantage of a few TWU errors, Mizeur hammered home another kill and Holt added another ace to take an 11-8 lead. 
 
TWU flipped the scale and took advantage of four QU errors to retake the lead at 14-12. 
 
The Hawks were unable to get back in front, scoring just five points the rest of the set. TWU evened things up by taking the second set 25-17.
 
3rd Set
 
Both teams traded points to start the third. The Hawks used kills from Sarah Brown, Emily Rehagen and Emma Lynch to keep the score tied at 8-8.
 
The Pioneers forced head coach Mark Jones to take his first timeout of the set after going on a 4-0 run to take a 12-8 lead.
 
The Hawks came out of the timeout strong using two kills from Lynch followed by a Sarah Blair service ace. This allowed Quincy to take five out the next six points and tie it at 13-13. 
 
The Pioneers tried to pull away but the Hawks did not go quietly. QU used kills from Rehagen and Alaina Rothermich to tie it once again at 21-21.
 
TWU went on to win the final four points and take a 25-21 set three victory.
 
4th Set
 
QU jumped out to a 7-4 lead early in the fourth set behind three kills from Mizeur. The redshirt senior from Riverton, Illinois led the Hawks with 9 kills in the match.
 
The Pioneers capitalized on a few QU errors to go on a 6-0 run and take a 10-7 lead.
 
The Hawks were unable to get any closer the rest of the way as TWU took 15 of the last 23 points to win the fourth set 25-15 and take a 3-1 match victory.
 
Game 2
 
1st Set
 
The Hawks traded points with the Bearcats to start their second game of the day. Stephanie Mizeur picked up where she left off, tallying three kills early on to keep the Hawks within striking distance down 6-5.
 
The Bearcats later went on a 5-1 run to extend their lead and force a QU timeout.
 
Makayla Knoblauch fired home a kill out of the timeout, propelling the Hawks to score the next three points and cut the lead to 11-9.
 
The Hawks could not pull any closer as NW Missouri State scored seven of the last eight points to take the first set 25-16.
 
2nd Set
 
 The Bearcats jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in the second. NW Missouri State would extend their lead to nine midway through the set.
 
The Hawks fought back, using kills from Sarah Brown, Alaina Rothermich and Lauren Worl to cut the lead to six at 18-12. 
 
The lead was too much to overcome as the Hawks dropped the second set 25-16.
 
3rd Set
 
QU came out firing on all cylinders in the third. Emily Rehagen and Alaina Rothermich each knocked down two kills early on, while Victoria McCarty added a service ace. QU led 9-4.
 
The Hawks later jumped out to a 17-10 lead, forcing a NW Missouri State timeout.
 
The Bearcats scored three straight points out of the timeout to cut the lead to 17-13.
 
Rehagen and the Hawks answered in a big way. The freshman from O'Fallon, Missouri fired off back-to-back kills to extend the lead back to six. 
 
The Bearcats clawed their way back, evening the score at 20-20 late in the third set.
 
QU did not falter, as they took four of the last five points behind kills from Rothermich and Rehagen. The Hawks 25-21 victory forced a fourth set.
 
4th Set
 
Back-to-back kills from Mizeur put the Hawks up 3-2 to start the fourth. 
 
The Bearcats scored the next four points and were looking to pull away, but the Hawks prevented that from happening.
 
QU tied it at 7-7 behind kills from Brown, Rehagen and Worl.
 
Both teams stayed within two points of each other until NW Missouri State went on a 6-1 run to take a 19-13 lead late in the set. 
 
The Hawks got back to within four, but the Bearcat offense held them off. NW Missouri State won the fourth set 25-18 to take a 3-1 victory.

Game 1 Stat Leaders
Stephanie Mizeur- Kills (9)
Makayla Knoblauch- Assists (26)
Sarah Blair, Emma Holt - Service Aces (2)

Game 2 Stat Leaders
Sarah Brown - Kills (10)
Makayla Knoblauch- Assists (32)
Emily Rehagen- Digs (11)

Next up for the Hawks
The Hawks return to the floor tomorrow (Sept. 7) to take on #4 Washburn at 11:30 a.m.