QUINCY, Ill. - The Hawks kept the good times rolling on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 12), sweeping the Prairie Stars of Illinois-Springfield (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) to press the win-streak to 7 matches while also maintaining a perfect 5-0 record in conference play. 

Set One 

Quincy started off the match in prime position, taking advantage of five UIS errors along with a kill from Erin Matzke and an ace from Elena Kasavica to move ahead 7-0. The Prairie Stars worked their way back into the mix later in the set, using a four-point run to even the tally at 11-11. 

QU answered with 10 of the next 15 points to rebuild the lead to five, heading down the stretch with a 21-15 advantage. Springfield took the next three points to narrow the margin back down to two until a three-point Quincy run made it 24-19. Following a UIS point, a Matzke kill delivered the Hawks a 25-20 winner in the first set. 

Set Two 

It looked as if the Praire Stars were signaling some intent early in the second, snagging the first four points of the set. QU burst back into the action, responding with runs of six and four points to move back into pole position at 10-5. 

Springfield never drew closer than three points for the remainder of the set as the Hawks pressed the advantage to as many as nine before the Prairie Stars narrowed the margin to 21-18. Kills from Emma Wijnbergen and Luna Van Baars followed shortly after by a UIS error and a Van Baars ace sealed a 25-19 victory in the second frame. 

Set Three

QU looked poised to end the night early, taking nine of the first 13 points to open up a 9-4 edge. UIS fired right back with a seven-point run to press ahead 11-9, maintaining the lead throughout the middle of the set before using a three-point run to build a 20-16 advantage heading into the late stages of the third. 

The Hawks buckled down and got the job done in the crunch time, using a three-point run to draw within a point at 20-19 before busting out a six-point run to complete the late comeback and steal the set 25-21, and claim the match 3-0. 

Top Performers:
14 Kills - Susanna Beretti 
44 Assists, 3 Aces - Elena Kasavica
3 Blocks - Erin Matzke
10 Digs - Janelle Pye-Blacknard

Next Up 

The Hawks are back in action next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 18-19) at the Midwest Regional Crossover hosted in Hammond, IN. QU will take on foes from the neighboring Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC).