QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit but fell just short of completing the reverse sweep Friday night, dropping a five-set match to Missouri-St. Louis, 21-25, 16-25, 25-19, 26-24, 10-15, inside Pepsi Arena. The loss moves the Hawks to 9-6 overall and 0-3 in GLVC play.
The opening set was tightly contested from start to finish, featuring 15 ties and nine lead changes. Quincy created some late separation when a Monika Bíliková service ace gave the Hawks a 19-17 advantage, but UMSL answered with four straight points to move ahead 21-19. The Hawks cut the deficit to one at 22-21, but the Tritons scored the final three points to take the opener 25-21. Quincy hit .257 with 12 kills and three errors, while UMSL posted 18 kills and hit .385.
UMSL carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 6-2 advantage. Quincy continued to battle and worked the deficit down to 17-15, but the Tritons closed the frame on an 8-1 run, including a pair of late service aces, to take the set 25-16 and move ahead 2-0 in the match. The Hawks hit .156 with nine kills and four errors, while UMSL hit .290 with 13 kills and four errors.
With their backs against the wall, the Hawks came out aggressively in the third. Quincy used an early run to build a 10-3 advantage behind strong serving and several UMSL errors. The Tritons responded and eventually pulled within one at 11-10, but Quincy never surrendered the lead. The Hawks rebuilt their advantage down the stretch before closing the set with three of the final four points to force a fourth with a 25-19 victory. Quincy hit .268 with 14 kills and only three errors while holding UMSL to .125 with 11 kills and six errors.
The fourth set turned into another back-and-forth battle. Quincy built an 18-14 advantage before UMSL answered with five consecutive points to take a 19-18 lead. The Tritons later pushed ahead 23-20, putting the Hawks two points away from elimination, but Quincy responded with three straight to tie the set at 23.
UMSL reached match point at 24-23, but
Aysem Kocaalp delivered a kill to keep the Hawks alive. An attack error gave Quincy set point before Bíliková fired an ace to finish the comeback, 26-24, and force a decisive fifth set. The Hawks hit .250 with 16 kills and six errors in the frame, while UMSL hit .231 with 14 kills and five errors.
Quincy carried the momentum into the fifth and grabbed a 5-3 advantage, but UMSL responded with a decisive 7-1 run to move ahead 10-6. The Hawks made one final push and cut the deficit to 13-10, but the Tritons scored the final two points to close out the match 15-10. UMSL saved its most efficient offensive set for last, hitting .500 with 11 kills and just one error, while Quincy hit .158 with six kills and three errors.
UMSL finished with a 67-57 advantage in kills and hit .284 as a team compared to Quincy's .228. The Tritons also held slight advantages in service aces, 12-10, blocks, 8-7, and digs, 76-64.
Kocaalp turned in her best all-around performance of the season, setting season highs with 17 kills, 23 points, 22 digs, and three total blocks. The freshman recorded her fifth double-double of the season and fourth in as many matches while also adding four service aces. Bíliková finished with a season-high 13.5 points, totaling nine kills, three service aces, and five total blocks.
Erin Matzke added 12 kills while hitting .250;
Selin Turgut finished with 11 kills and 13 digs, and
Olivia Curry contributed seven kills on an efficient .353 hitting percentage.
Macey Rocco directed the offense with 43 assists, while
Milica Stamenic added three service aces and eight digs.
The Hawks will look to bounce back Saturday when they welcome McKendree University to Pepsi Arena. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
