QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University men's volleyball team ended their MIVA winless drought with a gutsy come-from-behind performance against the 9th-ranked team in the country on Saturday (Feb. 15). The Hawks defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in five sets 22-25, 27-29, 25-23, 25-23, and 15-11. 

1st Set
Quincy got behind the eight ball to start off Saturday's matchup. The Mastodons got off to a 3-0 lead behind a QU service error, attacking error, and a kill. 

The Hawks cut into the deficit when a kill by Adam Meyer and a Purdue Fort Wayne attack error made the score 6-5. 

A few points later, the Mastodons pulled back in front behind a 3-0 run to take an 11-7 lead. The Hawks called a timeout. 

After Purdue Fort Wayne grew their lead to as much as five points, Quincy chipped away to get back in it. The Hawks used a 4-1 run to make the score 15-14 midway through the first set. 

Quincy was finally able to work a tie late in the set when Omari Wheeler tapped down a kill to make the score 20-20. Both teams battled down to the wire in the final points, but the Hawks dropped set one 25-22.

2nd Set
The visiting Mastodons made the Hawks play from behind after getting off to a 3-0 lead yet again in set two. 

Quincy worked a tie by going on a 4-1 run to make it even at four points apiece. Omari Wheeler and Blake Sprecher had kills during the run. 

The Hawks captured the lead for the first time when QU rattled off four straight points to go up 9-6. Michael Ladner slammed two kills to fuel the run. 

Fort Wayne came right back with three in a row to tie the score 9-9. 

Omari Wheeler and Yoran Raymaekers followed with kills to put the home team back ahead 11-9. 

The Mastodons got back in the driver's seat when a 3-0 run gave them a 13-12 lead, forcing QU to take their first timeout of the set. 

Purdue Fort Wayne continued to roll after the break with three more points. QU's deficit grew to 16-12. 

Quincy swung right back and used a 5-1 run to tie the game at 18 points each. 

The Hawks regained the lead on the next point after a Mastodon attack error. 

In the final points, Adam Meyer got a solo block to give QU a brief 21-20 lead. 

Quincy found themselves down to the last point, 24-23, but the Hawks came roaring back with back-to-back points to go in front 25-24. The Mastodons called a timeout. 

The battle continued past twenty-five points. Fort Wayne closed out set two with a 29-27 win. 

3rd Set
The third set was a power struggle for control. After the first ten points, Quincy held a 6-4 lead. 

Purdue Fort Wayne scored four in a row to take over the lead 8-6. Quincy called  their first timeout. 

Omari Wheeler stopped the visitors momentum after the break with a kill to make it 8-7. The Mastodon lead briefly grew to three points, but the Hawks got it back to one after a Blake Sprecher kill. QU trailed 10-8.

Quincy tied the score at the halfway point, 15-15, after an attack error capped a 3-0 run by the Hawks. Yoran Raymaekers and Sprecher combined for a block to give Quincy the lead back 17-16 a few points later. 

That lead was erased quickly when the Mastodons used a 3-0 run to go back ahead 19-18. The Hawks ended the run with a block to notch things up at 19-19. 

QU regained the lead once more when back-to-back points led to a 21-20 advantage. That lead grew to 23-21 after two straight attack errors on the visitors. 

After a timeout by the Mastodons, Quincy had game point when the score reached 24-21. Purdue Fort Wayne scored two in a row to make it a one-point game, but a service error on the Mastodons sealed the third set win for the Hawks 25-23. 

4th Set
Quincy rode the momentum into the fourth set. The Hawks got out to an 8-3 lead behind six kills from their attack. Michael Ladner, Omari Wheeler, Eddie Jakubauskas, and Zach Reider all had kills. 

The Hawks lead went up to 12-6 before Fort Wayne called their first timeout. 

Purdue-Fort Wayne climbed their way back into it when a 5-1 run cut Quincy's lead to 16-14, and Quincy called time. 

All the momentum stayed on the Mastodons side as they scored three more points following the QU timeout to take the lead, 17-16. 

Both teams battled neck-and-neck down the stretch with neither gaining more than a two point lead. Quincy slipped back ahead 22-21 forcing the final timeout by the visiting Mastodons. 

The Hawks had game point, but when a block attempt fell out of bounds, the score reached 24-23. Gavin Mueller called his last timeout in hopes of rallying his troops for one last push. 

The strategy worked as QU won the set on the next point and forced a fifth set after dropping the first two. 

5th Set
In the decisive fifth set, both teams were tied 2-2 after the opening four points. After ten points, the two teams were still notched 5-5. 

QU forced the Mastodons to take their timeout when the Hawks jumped ahead 9-6 behind a kill from Michael Ladner and an attack error. 

The Hawks remained in front as a solo block from Yoran Raymaekers made the score 13-10 QU. The Hawks sealed the comeback victory with a block by Omari Wheeler and Zach Reider to win 15-11. 

It was Quincy's first win in MIVA since defeating the Mastodons in April of 2017 in five sets. 

Omari Wheeler led the Hawks with 18 kills and 14 digs, while Michael Ladner collected 13 kills and Adam Meyer had 10 blocks. 

Next Game
The men's volleyball program will hit the road on Wednesday, February 19th to take on Lewis University.