QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University men's volleyball team kicked off their season in Pepsi Arena on Friday night (Jan. 10). The Hawks lost at the hands of Mount Olive University 25-20, 25-17, 25-23. 

1st Set
Adam Meyer kicked off the 2020 season with a kill to get Quincy on the board first. Michael Ladner added a kill on QU's next point to move in front 2-1. 

The first match saw both teams battling for the lead. Mount Olive was able to gain some separation after a block of Ladner's attack made the score 7-5. 

Quincy responded quickly with back-to-back points to tie the score at seven points apiece. 

After two errors on the Hawks, the Trojans went back in front by the score of 9-7. As the first set reached the midway point, Mount Olive's lead grew to 15-11. 

Quincy got a kill from Manuel Hernandez and a block by Michael Ladner to lessen the deficit to two points. QU still trailed 15-13. 

Omari Wheeler and Ladner each got kills to make the score 17-16 UMO. The visiting Trojans called their first timeout to stop the momentum. 

Out of the short break, Mount Olive slammed down a kill. This started a 4-1 run for the Trojans, forcing Quincy to call their first timeout. QU trailed 21-18. 

Mount Olive went on to take the opening set by the score of 25-20. 

2nd Set
Quincy fell behind after a serving error and an attack error in the first two plays of the second set. The Hawks had a quick answer with back-to-back points which tied the score at 2-2. 

Omari Wheeler gave Quincy their first lead of the set after a block of the Trojan attack. An attack error on Mount Olive allowed QU to go ahead by two points. 

The visiting Trojans scored the next five of six points to take an 8-6 lead which forced a Quincy timeout. 

Mount Olive kept the pressure on QU after the timeout. The Trojans tallied a 6-2 run which enabled them to boost their lead to 14-8. 

After Mount Olive called a timeout, the score sat at 18-12 UMO. The Hawks were able to get within five, but the Trojans pulled away late. 

Mount Olive took set two, 25-17. 

3rd Set
In the third set, the Trojans opened things up on an 8-2 run. Quincy was forced to take an early timeout to regroup. 

The Hawks came out of the break with a 3-0 run to slim the margin to 8-5. Michael Ladner added a kill along with two Trojan errors. 

The momentum continued to sway back in favor of the Hawks after Ladner and Eddie Jakubauskas collected kills which brought the score to 9-8 UMO. 

Quincy tied the game on the next point after a Mount Olive attack error. The Hawks came all the way back to take the lead later in the set, 12-11. 

Mount Olive came back for two points in a row to regain the advantage, 13-12. 

Both teams went back and forth between ties and leads. After a serving error on Mount Olive, things were notched at 16-16. Omari Wheeler got his ninth kill of the game to make the score 17-16 QU. 

Mount Olive clapped back with three straight points to regain the lead, 19-17. 

Wheeler slammed down another kill and Drake Muhlenbeck followed with an ace, leading to another tie score, 19-19. Mount Olive forced a timeout by QU after scoring the next two points. 

Quincy answered the bell and tied the score 21-21 with another kill by Omari Wheeler and a block from Blake Sprecher and Yoran Raymaekers. 

With the third set coming down to the wire, Mount Olive finished the game with a 25-23 victory. 

Stat Leaders
Omari Wheeler - 11 kills
Yoran Raymaekers - 23 assists

Next Game
Men's volleyball will be back in action tomorrow night (Jan. 11) to face Lincoln Memorial University at 7:00 p.m. in Pepsi Arena.