DETROIT, Mich. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of four-set losses on Friday at the Warrior Invitational inside the Matthaei Center. The Hawks captured the opening set in both matches but were unable to hold off Northwood University in a 23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-21 loss before falling to host Wayne State University 20-25, 26-24, 25-16, 28-26. Quincy ends the opening day of the season at 0-2.
Game One: Northwood 3, Quincy 1
Quincy jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead in the opening set behind a pair of 3-0 runs, with freshman
Izzy Steiner quickly making her presence felt in her collegiate debut with two early kills. The Hawks gradually stretched the advantage to 13-8 before a Northwood timeout shifted the momentum, as the Timberwolves rattled off six straight points to take their first lead since 1-0.
The Hawks answered immediately with a 5-1 run of their own, capitalizing on three consecutive Northwood errors to regain control. Quincy eventually reached the doorstep of the opening set with a 23-20 advantage before the Timberwolves scored three straight to tie the frame. QU remained composed, scoring the final two points to secure a 25-23 victory and take its first set of the 2026 season. Quincy hit .222 with 13 kills and five errors in the opener, while Northwood hit .156 with 15 kills and eight errors.
The second set followed a similar script, with Quincy once again jumping out to an early advantage. A pair of 3-0 runs, sparked by two kills from freshman middle Monika Bíliková, gave the Hawks an 8-4 lead. Northwood responded by scoring six of the next seven points, all coming on kills, to move ahead 10-9.
Neither side was able to create much separation from there as the set reached a 17-17 tie. Northwood finally broke through with a 5-1 run to take control late. Quincy battled back and kept the margin close, but the Timberwolves closed the frame with a kill to take it 25-23 and even the match. The Hawks hit .250 with 10 kills and just one attacking error, but Northwood countered with 20 kills and a .319 hitting percentage.
The third set proved to be the turning point of the match. Quincy trailed just 7-6 early before Northwood exploded for seven consecutive points to open a 14-6 advantage. The Hawks were unable to generate a similar run of their own and dropped the set 25-15. Quincy finished the frame with nine kills and nine errors for a .000 hitting percentage while committing 11 total errors and allowing six service aces.
With their backs against the wall, the Hawks battled throughout the fourth set. Neither team could gain much separation through the first half of the frame, with the score tied at 16-16. Northwood then produced the decisive stretch, scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 23-18 advantage as Quincy committed four errors during the run. The Timberwolves eventually put away the set 25-21 to take the match in four. Quincy hit .033 in the final frame with eight kills and seven errors.
Selin Turgut paced the Quincy offense with a career-high 14 kills while adding 13 digs for a double-double. Steiner made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut with eight kills, four service aces and six digs, while
Olivia Curry also recorded eight kills in her first collegiate match.
Macey Rocco distributed 28 assists and collected 14 digs, while
Amber Glen added 14 digs and surpassed 400 for her career. Bíliková finished with six block assists in her debut as the Hawks totaled 20 block assists as a team.
The match also marked collegiate debuts for Steiner, Curry, Bíliková,
Aysem Kocaalp and
Ammecy Ray. The loss snapped Quincy's three-match winning streak against Northwood and marked the Hawks' first season-opening defeat since 2021.
Game Two: (RV) Wayne State 3, Quincy 1
Quincy again came out strong in the nightcap, jumping ahead 7-3 while capitalizing on four Wayne State errors. The Warriors answered with a quick four-point run to tie the set at 10-10, but the Hawks remained steady and gradually rebuilt the advantage by consistently trading two points for one.
Wayne State made one final push late, but Quincy slammed the door by scoring four of the final five points to secure a 25-20 first-set victory. It was the Hawks' best offensive frame of the day, as they hit .308 with 16 kills and just four errors.
The Hawks carried that momentum into the second set and built another early 8-4 advantage behind a pair of kills from Turgut and Bíliková. Wayne State quickly flipped the momentum with a 6-0 run that included three kills and two service aces to take an 11-9 lead.
The Warriors gradually extended the margin to as many as five, but Quincy refused to go away. Strong serving helped the Hawks erase the deficit and eventually tie the set at 24-24. A setting error followed by a Wayne State kill ended the comeback bid, however, as the Warriors escaped with a 26-24 win to even the match. Quincy hit .171 with 12 kills and five errors, while Wayne State hit .231 with 12 kills and three errors.
For the second straight match, the third set proved costly for the Hawks. Wayne State opened the frame with five consecutive points before Quincy fought back to make it 6-5. Every Hawks push was met by another Warrior response, however, as Wayne State repeatedly strung together runs of two to four points to pull away for a 25-16 victory. The Warriors posted their best offensive set of the match, hitting .333 with 16 kills, while Quincy managed just five kills in the frame.
Wayne State appeared poised to close the match comfortably after racing out to an 8-2 lead in the fourth and eventually stretching the advantage to 20-12. Quincy had other plans. Trailing 23-17, the Hawks rattled off seven consecutive points while capitalizing on four Warrior errors to surge all the way ahead 24-23.
The teams traded points deep into extra play, with both sides earning multiple opportunities to close the frame. Quincy took a 26-25 lead and stood one point away from forcing a fifth set, but Wayne State answered with two consecutive kills before a match-ending block completed a 3-0 run and gave the Warriors a 28-26 victory. Neither offense found much rhythm in the defensive battle, as Quincy hit -.025 and Wayne State finished at .024.
Turgut once again led the Quincy attack with 12 kills and added seven digs, surpassing 400 digs for her career.
Erin Matzke reached double figures with 10 kills while adding six total blocks, and Curry contributed seven kills. Rocco directed the offense with 31 assists and added 15 digs and three service aces, while Glen matched her with 15 digs.
Milica Stamenic chipped in nine digs, while Bíliková recorded five total blocks.
Quincy finished the match with 42 kills, six service aces, 17 total blocks and 55 digs, but Wayne State held a 54-42 advantage in kills and hit .189 compared to the Hawks' .128.
The pair of losses marks the first time Quincy has opened a season 0-2 since 2019. The Hawks will look to bounce back on Saturday in their final two matches of the Warrior Invitational, taking on Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 9:00 AM before closing the weekend against Hillsdale College at 1:45 PM.
