QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team stayed hot Saturday afternoon inside Pepsi Arena, sweeping the University of Illinois Springfield 25-17, 26-24, 25-22 for its fifth consecutive victory and sixth straight win over the Prairie Stars. The Hawks improve to 17-8 overall and 4-5 in GLVC play.
Quincy jumped out to a quick 3-0 advantage in the opening set behind back-to-back service aces from
Macey Rocco and a block from
Erin Matzke. UIS answered with a 7-2 run to take its first lead, but the Hawks quickly regained control. With Quincy trailing 9-8, the Hawks scored four straight points behind kills from
Aysem Kocaalp and Monika Bíliková along with a pair of UIS attack errors to move ahead 12-9.
The Hawks continued to steadily expand the lead and pulled away late, scoring seven of the final eight points to take the opening set 25-17. Quincy totaled 13 kills in the frame and hit .171, while its defense held UIS to just five kills and a -.037 hitting percentage.
The second set was far more dramatic. UIS scored the first three points before Quincy answered and eventually took its first lead at 6-5. The Hawks created some separation from there, using a 5-0 run to build a 13-8 advantage before stretching the margin to 17-9.
UIS refused to go away, putting together a massive response to eventually tie the set at 18. Quincy moved back ahead 21-18 behind a pair of Matzke kills and another Rocco service ace, but the Prairie Stars once again answered and eventually grabbed a 23-22 lead.
Matzke came through with another kill to tie the frame at 23 before
Olivia Curry put Quincy ahead 24-24 after UIS briefly regained the advantage.
Cate McCulloch then put the Hawks on set point before a Bíliková-McCulloch block finished off the 26-24 win. Quincy turned in its best offensive set of the match, hitting .275 with 17 kills and six errors, while UIS hit .222 with 12 kills and four errors.
The third set stayed close early before Bíliková took over from the service line. With Quincy holding a narrow 9-7 lead, the sophomore middle fired off four service aces during an 8-0 run that blew the frame open and gave the Hawks a commanding 17-7 advantage.
UIS made one final push, cutting the deficit all the way down to 24-22, but Rocco ended the comeback bid with her sixth kill of the match to seal the sweep 25-22. Quincy hit .192 with 12 kills in the final set while UIS hit .240 with nine kills.
The Hawks finished the match hitting .218 with 42 kills while holding UIS to .148 and 26 kills. Quincy also dominated from the service line with an 11-8 advantage in aces and held a 45-29 edge in digs. The Prairie Stars did hold an 11-7 advantage in total blocks, but the Hawks consistently found answers in all three sets.
Rocco turned in one of the most complete performances of her career from the setter position, setting career highs with six kills and 10 points while hitting .750 on eight attempts. She also dished out 29 assists, added five digs, three service aces and two block assists.
Matzke continued her outstanding season out of the middle, finishing with 11 kills and just one error on 17 swings for a .588 hitting percentage. It marked her 11th match with double-digit kills this season and her seventh hitting .500 or better. She added a solo block and a block assist to finish with 12.5 points.
Blaike Knolhoff was everywhere defensively, leading all players with 16 digs for her second consecutive match in double figures. Bíliková once again made an impact in multiple areas, finishing with five service aces and five block assists to go along with four kills. It marked her sixth match this season with at least five blocks and her second straight with at least five aces after recording six against UIS on Tuesday.
Kocaalp endured another difficult offensive outing but still battled her way to 10 kills, reaching double figures for the 16th time this season. She added five digs, a service ace and a block assist. McCulloch also provided a lift with six kills, while Curry chipped in five. Freshman Lexi Lindsey made her collegiate debut as a serving specialist in the third set.
The Hawks will look to extend their winning streak next Friday when they return to the road to take on Upper Iowa University. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
