WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. - The Quincy University women's volleyball team extended its season-best win streak to ten matches and defeated Truman State for the 12th consecutive time, sweeping the Bulldogs 25–17, 25–22, 25–22 in the GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals inside the Williamsville High School Fieldhouse. The match featured long rallies, big scoring runs, and a strong finishing push in every set as the Hawks punched their ticket to Saturday's semifinal against two-seeded Rockhurst University.
Quincy controlled the opening set by turning a tight 5–5 score into a commanding advantage behind a three-point burst and a dominant 7–1 run.
Susanna Beretti was unstoppable in the early going, hammering three kills in that stretch, while
Macey Rocco delivered a timely service ace off the bench to help create separation. Truman strung together a few minor pushes, but the Hawks dictated the pace, and Beretti's fifth kill of the frame closed out a 25–17 win. Quincy was locked in offensively from the first serve, hitting .394 with 17 kills while holding the Bulldogs to a .121 mark in the frame.
Set two began with momentum shifting toward Truman, as the Bulldogs claimed the first three points and led for much of the first half of the set. Quincy trailed 8–6 before flipping the momentum with a five-point run fueled by balanced scoring and a pair of TSU errors. Even as the Hawks built leads of 14–11 and later 19–15, Truman battled back, eventually taking a late 21–20 advantage. Out of a QU timeout, the Hawks steadied themselves and closed the door by scoring five of the final six points, buoyed by two more key kills from Beretti to secure a 25–22 win. It was Quincy's least efficient set at the net, hitting .185 with 16 kills, but the Hawks still held Truman to just 13 kills at a .135 clip, maintaining control with timely swings and late poise.
The third set mirrored the tension and back-and-forth flow of the second. Quincy led 13–9 after another strong opening push, but Truman continued to hover within striking distance and finally broke through with a four-point run when trailing 21–18, capitalizing on three Hawk errors to take a 22–21 advantage. Head coach
Mark Jones called a timeout, and the response was immediate and emphatic.
Janelle Pye-Blacknard took over, delivering three consecutive kills, and a Truman error capped off a four-point closing run to lock up the sweep with another 25–22 finish. The Hawks returned to dominant efficiency in the final frame, hitting .302 with a match-high 18 kills.
The Hawks put together an impressive offensive performance, finishing with 51 kills on .277 hitting, compared to Truman's 34 kills on .135. Quincy comfortably outpaced the Bulldogs in every offensive category, kills, hitting percentage, assists, and total points, while outperforming them defensively with 62 digs to Truman's 54. TSU had the advantage with seven blocks to Quincy's five and also a slight edge in the service department, but overall, clean receptions on both sides.
Individually, Quincy's balance was on full display.
Susanna Beretti led the charge with 15 kills, swinging at an efficient .297 while adding seven digs and a service ace.
Janelle Pye-Blacknard followed with 13 kills, coming up clutch in the third set, and also provided 11 digs and two blocks in a strong two-way performance.
Selin Turgut was outstanding on the pin as well, producing 12 kills on .333 hitting and anchoring the back row with 17 digs. The middle combination of
Zeynep Cetin and Erin Matzka combined for 10 kills, four total blocks, and steady pressure at the net. Setter
Elena Kasavica remained the offensive engine, distributing 42 assists and adding 11 digs in yet another double-double effort. Libero
Lilly Marth delivered with 16 digs, covering the back row with consistency and range throughout the sweep.
The Hawks quickly turn their attention to a semifinal showdown with Rockhurst University at 5:30 PM, looking to avenge three straight losses to RU, including last year's semifinal matchup. Quincy enters playing some of its best volleyball of the season, riding a 10-match winning streak and surging with confidence as the postseason heats up.
