QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team was unable to slow down a dominant Maryville block Friday night, falling to the Saints in four sets, 27-25, 13-25, 15-25, 15-25, inside Pepsi Arena. The loss drops the Hawks to 17-11 overall and 4-8 in GLVC play.
The result marked Maryville's first-ever victory inside Pepsi Arena after Quincy had won the previous 12 meetings on its home floor. The Saints also snapped a 12-match losing streak against the Hawks, earning their first win in the series since 2014 while extending their current winning streak to four matches.
Maryville grabbed the early advantage in the opening set, using Quincy's attacking struggles and several blocks to build an 11-5 lead. The Hawks gradually worked their way back, eventually using a 4-0 run to turn a 14-11 deficit into a 15-14 advantage.
The momentum continued to swing throughout the remainder of the frame. Maryville rebuilt its lead to 23-19 and appeared ready to close out the opener, but Quincy refused to go away. Selin Turgut and Monika Bíliková helped spark a 5-1 run that tied the set at 24 before the Saints earned another set point at 25-24. Bíliková answered with a kill before firing a service ace, and Aysem Kocaalp finished the comeback with a kill to give Quincy the 27-25 victory. The Hawks totaled 16 kills in the frame but committed 12 attack errors to hit .083, while Maryville hit .167 with 12 kills and five errors.
The second set remained close through an 8-8 tie before Maryville began to take over. The Saints slowly created separation before completely breaking the set open with a lengthy run that turned an 11-14 Quincy deficit into an 11-22 hole. Maryville's block was at the center of the run, repeatedly shutting down the Hawks at the net while also applying pressure from the service line.
Quincy was unable to recover and dropped the frame 25-13. The Hawks recorded just five kills with 10 errors for a -.192 hitting percentage, while Maryville hit .318 with nine kills and only two errors. The Saints also totaled five blocks in the set.
The third set stayed within reach early, with Quincy battling back to tie the frame at 7-7. Maryville responded by scoring five of the next six points to regain control and steadily expanded the advantage from there. The Saints pushed ahead 18-11 and continued to frustrate the Quincy attack with their presence at the net, eventually finishing off a 25-15 victory to take a 2-1 match lead.
Quincy hit .070 with nine kills and six errors in the third, while Maryville turned in another efficient offensive set at .302 with 15 kills and only two errors.
The Saints carried that momentum into the fourth. Quincy grabbed a quick 3-1 lead before Maryville answered with five straight points to move ahead 6-3. The Hawks remained within striking distance early, but the Saints continued to steadily create separation, pushing the margin to 15-8 and later 22-13.
Quincy was unable to generate the run needed to extend the match as Maryville closed out another 25-15 victory. The Saints saved their best offensive set for last, hitting .385 with 11 kills and only one error, while Quincy finished at .032 with 11 kills and 10 errors.
The story of the match was Maryville's dominance at the net. The Saints finished with 19 total blocks, while Quincy was held without a block for the first time this season. Maryville also hit .278 with 47 kills and just 10 attack errors, compared to Quincy's 41 kills and .020 hitting percentage. The .020 mark was the Hawks' second-lowest of the season, while their 38 attack errors were a season high.
Bíliková was the bright spot offensively for Quincy, setting a season high with 12 kills while hitting .333 on 24 attempts. She also added four service aces to finish with a team-high 16 points.
Turgut finished with 10 kills and 11 digs for her 11th double-double of the season while surpassing 600 career digs. Kocaalp added nine kills and nine digs and surpassed 300 kills during her freshman campaign. Rocco dished out 32 assists and collected 13 digs for her 13th double-double of the season, while Amber Glen led the Hawks with 19 digs. Milica Stamenic added nine digs and surpassed 200 for her career.
Quincy will remain inside Pepsi Arena on Saturday for Senior Day against Missouri S&T. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 PM, with Blaike Knolhoff, Selin Turgut, Erin Matzke, Amber Glen and Macey Rocco set to be honored prior to the match.
