NASHVILLE, Tn. - The Quincy University women's volleyball team opened up it's 2024 season with a pair of wins over Anderson University and Southwestern Oklahoma State at the Ray Thrasher Classic on Friday (Sept. 6). 

QU defeated 2023 national championship participant, Anderson three sets to two (25-21, 25-21, 25-27, 24-26, 15-10) before sweeping Southwestern Oklahoma State (25-18, 25-19, 25-18) to remain perfect through the seasons first two games. 

Game One vs Anderson University

Set One 

After surrendering two points on an error and a kill, Emma Wijnbergen collected the first kill of the season as part of a three-point run for Quincy including a AU setting error and an ace from Susanna Beretti. 

Later in the set tied at 7-7, QU took six of the next seven points to open it's largest lead of the set at 13-8. Three kills from Beretti, an ace from Elena Kasavica and blocks from Kasavica and Samantha Hansen fuelded the Quincy run. 

Anderson took six of the next nine points to narrow the margin to 16-14 before drawing within a point heading down the stretch at 19-18 and 20-19 until back-to-back kills from Beretti made it 22-19 and gave the Hawks the room they needed to go on and take the set 25-21. 

Set Two 

The Trojans took six of the first seven points to lead it by five at the start of set number two. Shortly after at 9-4, QU took six of the next seven points to knot the tally at 10-10 on kills from Erin Matzke, Wijnbergen and Beretti along with an ace from Luna Van Baars. 

AU responded with five of the next six to press ahead 15-11 before Quincy took six of the next seven points for it's first lead of the set at 17-16. The Hawks built a slight advantage of three at 21-18 before Anderson erased the deficit with a run of three to make it 21-21. 

QU took advantage of a service error along with kills from Wijnbergen and Beretti plus an ace from Makayla Eckel to claim the final four points of the set and seal a 25-21 winner in set two. 

Set Three

Six of the first eight points went in favor of Quincy as the Hawks remained ahead for nearly the entirety of the set. AU closed the margin to a single point at 13-12, 15-14 and 16-15 before a Hawks run of three made it 19-15. 

QU pressed the advantage to five late in the set at 22-17 on back-to-back kills for Beretti until the Trojans claimed seven of the next nine points to finally even the score at 24-24. 

A kill from Matzke forced match point before three AU points dealt the Hawks a 25-27 loss in the third set. 

Set Four

Kills from Van Baars and Beretti opened a 3-0 advantage for QU. Later in the set, Anderson opened a three-point advantage of its own on three Hawk errors to make it 11-8. 

Later in the set trailing 19-16, three-straight Quincy points on a pair of Beretti kills and blocks from Wijnbergen and Hansen even the score at 19-19. Shortly after, QU took a 21-20 edge before surrendering three points to fall behind 21-23. 

The Hawks evened the score twice more at 23-23 and 24-24 before an AU kill and a QU error gave the Trojans a 26-24 win in the fourth set. 

Set Five

Quincy took the early initiative in the 15-point fifth set, claiming five of the first six points to lead it 5-1. Anderson never inched closer than three points after that point as a kill from Wijnbergen seal a 15-10 set and 3-2 match victory. 

Notable Performances
Susanna Beretti - 27 Kills (Career-High), .382 Hitting %, 3 Aces, 26 Digs, Block
Emma Wijnbergen - 21 Kills, 6 blocks, 9 Digs
Luna Van Baars - 13 Kills, 3 Aces, 20 Digs, Block
Elena Kasavica - 57 Assists, 2 Aces, 4 Blocks, 12 Digs

Game Two vs Southwestern Oklahoma

Set One 

Kasavica opened the scoring with a service ace for QU before the sides entered a short back-and-forth affair until Quincy used a three-point run to open a 12-9 advantage and the Hawks never looked back. 

SWO drew within a single point on three occasions before a three-point Quincy run opened up an 18-14 edge. QU didn't miss a beat down the stretch, pressing the advantage to its highest of the set with the final point in a 25-18 first set win. 

Set Two 

The Hawks weren't able to build much of an advantage in the early going, leading by as many as three at 9-6 but not finding separation until ripping off a five-point run at 15-15 to lead it 20-15. 

QU was able to build the lead a point higher to six before the set ended  as the Hawks took the second set 25-19. 

Set Three

After dropping the first point of the set on an error, Quincy never trailed again for the remainder of the frame taking the lead right back on a pair of kills from Hansen and an ace from Beretti. 

QU stepped on the gas leading by three at the 15-12 mark, using a six-point run to open a nine-point advantage at 21-12. SWO was able to narrow the margin to five, but it was too little too late for the Bulldogs as the Hawks went on to complete the sweep with a 25-18 victory. 

Notable Performances
Emma Wijnbergen - 17 Kills, .353 Hitting %, 2 Aces, 4 Blocks, 8 Digs
Susanna Beretti - 13 Kills, .379 Hitting %, Ace, 11 Digs
Luna Van Baars - 9 Kills, .381 Hitting %, 9 Digs, Block
Elena Kasavica - 39 Assists, 2 Kills, 2 Aces, 2 Blocks, 9 Digs

Next Up 

The Hawks are back in action tomorrow (Sept. 6) with another double-header, first taking on the Panthers of Davenport University at 11:30 AM before taking on the host Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene University at 7:00 PM.