QUINCY, Ill. - In its first match of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, the #21 Quincy University women's volleyball team came away with a victory in a five set thriller over the #24 Hawks of Rockhurst University (25-27, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 15-9). 

The win keeps the QU hot streak rolling, making it 19 straight matches ending in triumph for Quincy. In addition, the Hawks added to perfect records at home (6-0) and in conference play (8-0) to remain deadlocked atop the GLVC standing with #3 Missouri-St. Louis. 

Set One: 

QU got out to a quick start, utilizing a four-point run to take five of the first seven points and a 5-2 lead. Kills from Susanna Beretti, Emma Wijnbergen and Luna Van Baars, along with a block from Erin Matzke supplied the run. RU swiftly tied it up at 7-7, and shortly after, took the lead 13-10. 

The Hawks played the catch up game through the mid part of the set, equalizing or shrinking the deficit before being met by a Rockhurst run. As time ran thin, down 23-20, QU snapped off four straight points on kills from Wijnbergen and Matzke as well as a block from the pair to force set point 24-23. RU snagged four of the final five points to take the set 27-25. 

Set Two: 

Quincy took the first three points of the second frame on a kill from Matzke, an error and an ace from Brianna Merkel. Rockhurst knotted the score at 7-7, prompting QU to take six of the next eight points to lead it 13-9. RU responded with a five-point rally to regain the advantage 14-13. 

Later in the set at 16-16, kills from Alice Pavan and Wijnbergen gave the Hawks an advantage they wouldn't surrender for the remainder of the set at 18-16. The Hawks of Rockhurst narrowed the advantage to a single point on two occasions at 20-19 and 23-22, but Quincy stayed solid, collecting the final two points of the set on a Wijnbergen kill and a service ace from Amber Glen for a 25-22 winner. 

Set Three: 

Rockhust kicked off the third set with a bang, taking a six point advantage at 10-4 to open the frame. QU got back into it in a hurry, taking eight of the next 11 points on kills from Pavan, Wijnbergen and Van Baars to trail 13-12. 

Quincy knotted the score at 15-15 on a three-point run supplied by a block from Pavan and kills from the Dutch duo of Wijnbergen and Van Baars. RU took the next point before kills from Pavan and Van Baars gave the Hawks their first lead since 1-0 at 17-16 heading down the stretch. 

A service error tied it at 17-17 before matching two-point runs from both sides made it 19-19. QU took the next three points followed by three more from Rockhurst to lock the tally once again at 22-22.

A service error put Quincy ahead 23-22, before an attacking error from Matzke deadlocked the score, once more. Not afraid of the moment and unfazed by her error in the previous point, Matzke delivered back-to-back kills to close out a 25-23 win. 

Set Four: 

After conceding the first three points of the set, the Hawks responded in a big way, claiming eight of the next nine points, largely in part to a seven-point run, to lead it 8-4. Later in the set at 10-8, RU utilized a four-point run to regain the lead 12-10. 

Rockhurst continued to press the issue, doubling the advantage to four at 18-14, before an error and kills from Pavan and Van Baars found Quincy trailing by a point, 18-17. QU hung around until the end, tying the score on multiple occasions down the stretch, but ultimately were unable to get over the hump in a 25-22 loss in the fourth set. 

Set Five: 

Quincy drew first blood in the decisive fifth frame, nabbing the first four points on two RU errors and kills from Wijnbergen and Matzke. The Hawks in blue and white responded with five straight tallies of their own, rushing back to a 5-4 lead. 

Following a home timeout, QU took four of the next five points to lead 8-6 at the changing of sides. Wijnbergen showed a lively crowd at Pepsi Arena just what a National Player of the Week looks like, collecting four kills, three of them in a row, to put her team back on top. 

The Hawks of Quincy didn't let up, trading kills with RU before a four-point run at 10-8, put QU up big, forcing match point 14-8. Following a Rockhurst point, Merkel found the hardwood to cap a 15-9 victory in the final frame. 

Next up for Quincy is a 3:00 PM GLVC showdown, tomorrow (Oct. 28) with the Cardinals of William Jewell College in Pepsi Arena.