LIBERTY, Mo. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team picked up its second straight GLVC victory Friday night, outlasting William Jewell College in five sets inside the Mabee Center. The Hawks took the match 27-25, 16-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-8 to improve to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The opening set was a battle throughout, with neither side able to create much separation. Quincy eventually worked its way to a 23-20 advantage, but William Jewell responded with three of the next four points before consecutive Quincy attack errors helped the Cardinals even the set at 24-24. Olivia Curry answered with a kill to give the Hawks another set-point opportunity, but William Jewell again tied the frame at 25. Quincy finally put the set away on back-to-back kills from Selin Turgut and Monika Bíliková to take the opener 27-25. The Hawks totaled 20 kills in the set and hit .245 with seven errors, while William Jewell hit .186 with 16 kills and five errors.
The Cardinals controlled the second set from the start, scoring the first four points and steadily building their advantage. Quincy attempted to work its way back into the frame, but William Jewell continued to apply pressure from the service line and never allowed the Hawks to generate an extended run. The Cardinals eventually evened the match with a 25-16 victory. Quincy struggled offensively, hitting just .048 with 11 kills and nine errors, while William Jewell hit .205 with 11 kills and three errors while adding four service aces.
Quincy came out stronger in the third set and built an early advantage, but William Jewell erased the deficit and eventually pulled ahead during the middle stages of the frame. The Hawks remained within striking distance and cut the margin to 20-17, but the Cardinals scored the final five points to close out a 25-17 win and take a 2-1 match lead. Quincy was unable to find consistency offensively, finishing with 13 kills and 13 errors for a .000 hitting percentage, while William Jewell hit .182 with eight kills and two errors.
Facing defeat, the Hawks answered emphatically in the fourth. Quincy began creating separation early and eventually opened up a 16-6 advantage behind a balanced attack, strong play at the net and a service ace from Bíliková. William Jewell never recovered from the double-digit deficit as Quincy cruised to a 25-16 victory and forced a decisive fifth set. The Hawks hit .226 with 11 kills and four errors while holding the Cardinals to a .000 hitting percentage with 10 kills and 10 errors.
The fifth set belonged to Quincy. After the teams battled to a 3-3 tie, the Hawks rattled off five consecutive points behind kills from Erin Matzke, Bíliková and Turgut along with a pair of William Jewell errors to surge ahead 8-3. The Cardinals briefly stopped the run, but Quincy continued to pull away. Aysem Kocaalp delivered two late kills before Matzke put down the match-clinching swing to secure the 15-8 victory and Quincy's first five-set win of the season. The Hawks saved their best offensive performance for last, hitting a scorching .600 with 10 kills and just one error while holding William Jewell to -.059 with four kills and five errors.
Quincy finished the match with a 65-49 advantage in kills and totaled 95 digs compared to 73 for William Jewell. Both teams recorded nine total blocks, while the Cardinals held a 7-3 advantage in service aces. The Hawks finished at .167 hitting for the match but found another gear over the final two sets, committing just five attacking errors across the fourth and fifth frames.
Kocaalp led the Hawks with a season-high 24 kills while hitting .259, adding 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season and sixth consecutive match with one. Her 26 points also led all Quincy players. Bíliková added 11 kills on .320 hitting with four total blocks and 14.5 points, while Curry also reached double figures with 11 kills.
Turgut finished with 10 kills and 18 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and third straight. Macey Rocco directed the offense with a career-high 49 assists while collecting 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the year. Amber Glen anchored the back row with a match-high 25 digs, while Milica Stamenic added 12.
The Hawks will look to make it three straight victories Saturday when they travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on Rockhurst University. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 PM inside Mason-Halpin Field House.
