HAMMOND, Ind. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team capped off a perfect opening day at the Midwest Region Crossover with a dominant straight-set victory over Lake Erie College on Friday night. The Hawks cruised to a 25-12, 25-10, 25-16 win to improve to 14-8 on the season after taking both of their matches on day one in Hammond.
Quincy wasted little time establishing control in the opening set, scoring the first four points behind kills from
Erin Matzke and
Olivia Curry along with a
Macey Rocco service ace. Lake Erie stayed within reach through the middle portion of the frame, trailing 15-11, before the Hawks blew the set open with eight consecutive points.
Milica Stamenic sparked the run from the service line with a pair of aces, while Quincy also added two kills and capitalized on several Lake Erie errors. The Hawks closed out the opener 25-12, hitting .379 with 14 kills and just three errors while holding Lake Erie to four kills and a -.107 hitting percentage.
The second set was even more dominant. The teams traded points early and were tied at 6-6 before Quincy began to pull away. A 4-0 run pushed the Hawks ahead 10-6 before another extended run, highlighted by kills from
Aysem Kocaalp and Matzke along with a Monika Bíliková service ace, stretched the advantage to 16-7. Quincy continued to pour it on from there and cruised to a 25-10 victory. The Hawks were nearly unstoppable offensively, hitting .500 with 13 kills and only two errors, while Lake Erie managed five kills and hit .091.
Lake Erie put together its best push of the match in the third. Quincy built a 13-8 lead before the Storm rattled off five consecutive points to tie the set at 13-13. The Hawks responded immediately, scoring four straight to regain control at 17-13. Leading 18-15 later in the frame, Quincy delivered another decisive 6-0 run to reach match point. Freshman middle blocker
Kathryn Bergan provided the finishing touch, putting down the first kill of her collegiate career to seal the 25-16 victory and the sweep. Quincy hit .261 with 11 kills in the final set while holding Lake Erie to .034 with nine kills and eight errors.
It was one of Quincy's most complete performances of the season. The Hawks hit .378 as a team, their second-highest mark of the year, with 38 kills and only 10 attack errors. Quincy also recorded 11 service aces, marking its fifth match with double-digit aces and second time accomplishing the feat in a three-set match. The Hawks finished with seven total blocks and 39 digs while committing only one reception error, their fewest of the season.
The defense was just as impressive, holding Lake Erie to exactly .000 hitting with 18 kills and 18 errors. It marked the third time this season Quincy has held an opponent to a .000 hitting percentage or lower, while the 18 kills were the fewest the Hawks have allowed all year.
Curry led a balanced Quincy attack with 13 kills and just one error on 16 attempts for a scorching .750 hitting percentage. She finished with 14 points and surpassed 200 points during her freshman season while reaching double-digit kills for the sixth time. Matzke added seven kills without an error on 13 swings to hit .538, while Bíliková finished with two kills, two service aces and five total blocks.
Kocaalp finished with nine kills, 10 digs, two service aces and 11 points, surpassing 300 points during her freshman campaign. Turgut added six kills, eight digs, two aces and nine points while moving past 500 career points. Rocco directed the offense with 28 assists and five digs, surpassing 200 career digs, while Stamenic led the Hawks with three service aces.
Quincy will look to complete a perfect Midwest Region Crossover on Saturday when it takes on Davenport University at 11:30 AM inside the Hammond Sportsplex. The Panthers also enter the matchup 2-0 at the Crossover after defeating Tiffin in straight sets and Northwood in four.
