QUINCY, Ill. - The Quincy University men's volleyball team started its season off on the right note, taking down the Stars of Dominican University (IL) on Friday (Jan. 12) at Pepsi Arena. Preseason All-MIVA selection, Raje Alleyne, paced the Hawks with 11 kills in a three set victory for QU (25-20, 25-21, 25-21). 

Set One

Zackary Zdrojeski claimed the first kill of the match and season for Quincy on a feed from Logan Brouwer to lead it 1-0. The Stars took the next three points to lead it 3-1 before a three-point run from the Hawks regained the lead for QU and commenced a back-and-forth battle between the two sides that would last until late in the set. 

Neither side led by more than two points until the Hawks put together a big run late in the frame to close out the set. Down 20-18, Quincy rattled of seven straight points to not only regain the advantage, but take the set.

Kills from Keegan Cary, Roman Deryckere and Alleyne along with a block from Deryckere as well as two for Cary and a service ace from Zdrojeski fueled QU to a 25-20 winner in the first set. 

Set Two

Two kills from Alleyne along with another from Carey and a block from Relja Milosavljevic found the Hawks ahead 4-2 to open the set. DU responded with three points to regain the advantage 5-4. 

Later in the set with the score knotted at 10-10, Quincy sandwiched a Dominican point with two three-point runs to open up a 16-11 lead. Following another point for the Stars, a four-point Hawks run gave QU some breathing room heading, leading 20-12. 

DU responded with a 9-3 run to pull within two at 23-21, but the Hawks turned back the comeback big, using a service error and a kill from Alleyne to give Quincy the 25-21 victory in the second set. 

Set Three

Early in the third set the score was deadlocked at 5-5 before a 6-1 run from QU made it 11-6. A couple kills and a block for Deryckere along with a kill for Alleyne and another block from Carey supplied the Hawks run. 

DU crept back to within three at 12-9 before a 5-1 run from Quincy put the Hawks in good shape ahead 17-10. Dominican responded with its own 5-1 run to cut the advantage right back to three at 18-15. 

Kills from Zdrojeski and Deryckere along with a block from Brouwer made it 21-15 before the Stars took four of the next five to tighten the score 22-19 heading down the stretch. Both sides traded points until a kill from Alleyne delivered QU a 25-21 set win and 3-0 sweep of the match. 

Up next for coach Kemner's squad is a Wednesday (Jan. 17) date with Central State University. First serve is slated for 6:00 PM from Wilberforce, OH.