QUINCY, IL---The Quincy University men's volleyball team fell to Missouri Baptist University in their first match of the season, at the Carl & Deloris Petty SRC in St. Louis. The Spartans bested the Hawks in four sets 20-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-27.

1st Set
The Hawks rushed to a 3-0 lead to open the match, with Bryce Jones scoring the first two points of the game through attack errors and the third being sealed with a kill by Nathan Lawton. After this, however, the hot streak cooled off, and following an MBU service error that tied the game at 7, the Hawks were unable to regain the lead, with the Spartans winning the set 25-20.

2nd Set

The Hawks spent a lot of the second set coming from behind, taking their first lead at 3-2 on a Niall Burton kill and not leading again until 6-5 on an attack error. The back and forth continued for a while afterwards, but a service ace from Cooper Coleman made the set 16-15 Hawks, the lead stayed firmly in QU's corner. The Spartans fought back to tie the set at 23, but following service and attack errors, the Hawks won the set 25-23.

3rd Set

The Hawks started the third set from behind, gaining their first lead on another Lawton kill, making it 5-4 Hawks. The back and forth continued from there, with the lead becoming 10-9 on a kill by Francisco Salinger. The Hawks fell behind again afterwards, eventually making the score 16-15 on an attack error. More kills by Salinger and Lawton made the lead 18-17, and this was the Hawks' final lead of the set. They were able to tie it at 24, but the Spartans ultimately won the set 26-24.

4th Set
The Hawks fell behind early again, but scored five consecutive points to take the lead at 9-8, with a kill by Lawton sealing it. They kept the lead for a while afterwards, culminating in a 19-15 lead off another kill by Coleman. After this, the Spartans caught their second wind, and while the Hawks led 25-24 near the end due to a service error, this would be their last point scored and their last lead of the set, with the Spartans sealing the match victory with a 27-25 win.

Up Next
The Hawks will battle William Penn University (Iowa) in their home opener at Pepsi Arena on January 21.