QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team steps away from Great Lakes Valley Conference play this weekend for three matches at the annual Midwest Region Crossover at the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center in Hammond, Indiana.

The event brings together programs from the GLVC, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) for a weekend of regional competition.

Quincy opens the event Friday, October 16, against Northwood at 2 PM on Court 2 before returning to action at 7 PM on Court 4 against Lake Erie. The Hawks conclude the weekend Saturday, October 17, against Davenport at 11:30 AM on Court 6.

The Hawks enter the Crossover with a 12-8 overall record and 3-5 mark in GLVC play after splitting a pair of conference matches at Pepsi Arena last weekend.

Last Time Out

Quincy opened last weekend with a four-set victory over Southwest Baptist, taking down the Bearcats 28-26, 25-21, 13-25 and 25-21.

The Hawks hit .259 as a team and finished with 57 kills.

Aysem Kocaalp led the attack with 16 kills while adding three service aces. Freshman Izzy Steiner added 11 kills, while Erin Matzke finished with 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.

Monika Bíliková added nine kills while hitting .318 and matched Kocaalp with three aces.

Setter Macey Rocco directed the offense with 46 assists, while Selin Turgut, Amber Glen and Milica Stamenic each recorded 12 digs.

Quincy returned to the floor the following afternoon but was unable to complete the weekend sweep, falling to Drury in straight sets, 25-15, 26-24 and 25-14.

The Hawks and Panthers each finished with 34 kills, but Drury held Quincy to a .139 hitting percentage while attacking at a .284 clip.

Kocaalp led Quincy with 12 kills, while Glen collected 16 digs and Rocco finished with 24 assists. The split moved Quincy to 12-8 heading into the midpoint regional event.

Hawks Continue to Apply Pressure From Service Line

Serving remains one of Quincy's biggest strengths entering the Crossover. The Hawks lead the GLVC with 1.95 aces per set and 146 total service aces.

Kocaalp has been one of the conference's most dangerous servers, leading the GLVC with 39 aces and 0.56 per set. She also leads the Quincy offense with 234 kills and averages 3.34 kills per set.

Rocco has distributed 702 assists at 9.36 per set, while Glen leads the back row with 273 digs.

Quincy's middle attack has also remained efficient.

Matzke is hitting .310 with a team-high 61 total blocks, while Bíliková is hitting .304 with 55 blocks.

The Hawks enter the weekend hitting .195 as a team while holding opponents to a .166 percentage.

Game One: Northwood

Friday's opening match will provide Quincy with an opportunity to avenge one of its early-season losses.

Northwood enters the Crossover at 4-13 overall and 2-7 in G-MAC play. The Timberwolves are 2-2 in neutral-site matches and have lost four straight, with three of those defeats coming in straight sets.

The Hawks and Timberwolves already met in Quincy's first match of the season on August 28 at the Warrior Invitational in Detroit.

Quincy took the opening set 25-23 before Northwood responded by winning the next three, 25-23, 25-15 and 25-21.

Northwood hit .199 compared with Quincy's .134 and put significant pressure on the Hawks from the service line recording 11 aces.

Turgut led the Hawks with 14 kills and 13 digs in the first meeting, while Steiner added eight kills and four aces. Rocco finished with 28 assists and 14 digs. Kocaalp appeared in only two sets in the season opener and recorded one kill. She has since developed into Quincy's leading attacker heading into the rematch.

Northwood has struggled offensively throughout the season, ranking 11th out of 13 G-MAC teams in both kills per set at 10.51 and assists per set at 9.81. The Timberwolves hit .144 as a team while allowing opponents to attack at a .213 clip.

Those numbers create a notable matchup for Quincy.

The Hawks are 7-2 when hitting better than .200 this season and are 7-0 when holding an opponent to a .144 hitting percentage or lower.

Junior middle blocker Mackenzie Scheid leads Northwood with 132 kills, averaging 2.24 per set while hitting .157. Senior defensive specialist Laney Kokaly anchors the back row with 268 digs and averages 4.54 per set, ranking sixth in the G-MAC.

Northwood is led by 11th-year head coach Dave Shumaker. Since 2017, Quincy holds a 3-2 advantage in the series against Northwood.

Game Two: Lake Erie

Quincy will have only a few hours to reset before returning to the floor Friday night against Lake Erie.

The Storm enter the weekend at 8-9 overall and 5-5 in G-MAC action and have won three consecutive matches. Lake Erie is 1-1 in neutral-site contests this season. The Storm are led by first-year head coach Hannah Zuchowski.

Lake Erie's biggest strength comes at the net, where the Storm rank fourth in the G-MAC with 1.98 blocks per set. They hit .179 as a team while allowing opponents to hit .202. Quincy is 7-2 when reaching a .200 hitting percentage this season and has yet to lose when holding opponents to a .179 percentage or lower.

The centerpiece of Lake Erie's offense is junior outside hitter Allison Kirch.

Kirch has carried one of the heaviest offensive workloads in Division II, averaging 12.08 attacks per set, which leads the G-MAC and ranks fourth nationally. She ranks second in the conference with 3.81 kills and 4.49 points per set.

Kirch has reached double-digit kills in all but three matches this season and has also recorded 30 service aces, ranking third in the G-MAC.

Sophomore setter Kylie Anderson directs the Storm offense and ranks third in the conference with 9.16 assists per set. She has totaled 568 assists.

Lake Erie also features a pair of strong blockers in Ni'yah Fuggs and Kennedy Stewart. Fuggs has recorded 56 total blocks while Stewart has added 53.

Limiting Kirch's opportunities while navigating Lake Erie's blocking presence will be one of Quincy's biggest challenges in the second match of Friday's doubleheader.

The programs have met three times since 2009, with all three matches taking place at neutral sites. Quincy is 3-0 against Lake Erie over that stretch, dropping only one set. The programs have not met since 2014.

Game Three: Davenport

The Hawks close the weekend Saturday morning against a Davenport team that presents perhaps the strongest offensive challenge of Quincy's three Crossover opponents.

The Panthers enter the event at 11-6 overall and 5-5 in GLIAC play. Davenport is 1-1 at neutral sites and enters the weekend having dropped its last two matches.

Davenport ranks third in the GLIAC with 13.60 kills per set and is also third with a .243 team hitting percentage. That efficiency will be a key point for Quincy. Opponents are 6-2 against the Hawks when hitting above .200 this season, making Quincy's ability to disrupt the Davenport attack particularly important.

The Panthers also create pressure from the service line. 

Davenport ranks second in the GLIAC with 1.84 aces per set and has recorded at least nine aces in six matches this season. Serve receive has been closely connected to Quincy's results this year, with the Hawks going 1-6 in matches where their opponents have recorded at least nine service aces.

Senior Abby Alan leads the Davenport attack.

Alan has recorded a team-high 182 kills, averaging 3.08 per set, while also leading the Panthers with 28 service aces. Her 0.47 aces per set leads the GLIAC, while her 28 total aces rank second.

Davenport uses two setters to run its offense.

Keira Dommer has recorded 388 assists and averages 6.26 per set, while Madison Berry has added 301 assists at 4.85 per set. The Panthers also receive efficient production in the middle, with Amelia Werner hitting .321 and Jaide Wirth hitting .298.

Davenport is led by third-year head coach Charley Andrews.

Quincy and Davenport have met just once, with the Hawks earning a straight-set victory in a neutral-site matchup during the 2024 season.

Matchup Outlook

The Midwest Region Crossover provides Quincy with three different challenges over a span of less than 24 hours.

Friday's opener offers an opportunity for the Hawks to respond to their season-opening loss against Northwood.

The Timberwolves have struggled since that August meeting, but their ability to pressure Quincy from the service line played a major role in the first result. The Hawks will look to show how much they have developed since then, particularly with Kocaalp now leading the attack.

Lake Erie presents a different challenge later Friday.

The Storm rely heavily on Kirch offensively and bring a strong blocking presence at the net. Slowing Kirch while remaining efficient around Fuggs and Stewart will be critical during the quick turnaround.

Saturday's finale features a Davenport team that combines efficient attacking with aggressive serving.

The Panthers' .243 hitting percentage and 13.60 kills per set will test a Quincy defense that has held opponents to a .166 hitting percentage this season.

For the Hawks, their own ability to create pressure from the service line while maintaining consistency in serve receive could play an important role throughout all three matches.

Quincy begins the Midwest Region Crossover against Northwood at 2 PM Friday on Court 2, faces Lake Erie at 7 PM Friday on Court 4 and concludes the weekend against Davenport at 11:30 AM Saturday on Court 6 at the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center.