LAWTON, Okla. – The Quincy University women's volleyball team opened the Cameron Invitational with a pair of victories on Friday, taking down Minot State University in four sets before defeating Northeastern State University in four sets later in the day. The wins came in the first-ever meetings between Quincy and both programs and improved the Hawks to 3-3 on the season.
Game One: Quincy 3, Minot State 1
Minot State jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set after three Quincy errors and maintained the lead throughout the frame. The Beavers stretched the margin to as many as six before the Hawks began to chip away, cutting the deficit to 21-19 and eventually 23-22. Quincy was unable to complete the comeback, however, as Minot State held on for a 25-23 victory. The Hawks recorded 16 kills, their highest total of any set in the match, but seven attack errors, three service errors, and three setting errors proved costly. Quincy hit .180 in the frame compared to .146 for Minot State.
Quincy quickly flipped the momentum in the second set. After the teams opened with three-point runs of their own, the Hawks rattled off six consecutive points, highlighted by three kills from
Olivia Curry, to take a 9-3 lead. Much like Quincy had done in the first set, Minot State slowly worked its way back and pulled within one at 21-20. This time, it was the Hawks who slammed the door, scoring the final four points as
Aysem Kocaalp delivered the set-clinching kill for a 25-20 victory. Quincy hit .250 with 14 kills and five errors in the frame.
The third set turned into a game of runs. Quincy opened with three straight points, including a pair of service aces from
Macey Rocco, before Minot State answered with four consecutive points. The teams continued trading momentum until a 6-0 Beaver run turned a 9-8 Quincy advantage into a 14-9 deficit.
Trailing 15-10, the Hawks delivered their biggest run of the match, scoring eight consecutive points as freshmen Kocaalp and Curry combined for five kills during the surge. Minot State briefly stopped the run with a kill, but Quincy immediately answered with another four straight points to build a commanding 22-16 lead. The Hawks held on from there for a 25-21 win and a 2-1 match advantage. Quincy posted its most efficient set of the match, hitting .286 with 15 kills and five errors while holding the Beavers to .114.
The back-and-forth runs continued into the fourth set. Minot State scored the first three points before Quincy answered with four straight. With the Hawks leading 7-5, the Beavers used a 5-0 run highlighted by back-to-back blocks to regain control, but Quincy once again had an answer. The Hawks scored seven of the next eight points to move ahead 14-11, with
Erin Matzke putting down three kills out of the middle during the stretch.
Minot State stayed within reach, but Quincy finished emphatically by scoring the final four points to close out a 25-17 victory and the match. Neither offense found much rhythm in the final set, with Quincy hitting .059, but the Hawks forced Minot State into 10 attack errors and a -.075 hitting percentage.
Quincy finished the match with 53 kills compared to Minot State's 39 while holding the Beavers to an .088 hitting percentage. The Hawks also controlled play at the net with 12 blocks while collecting 65 digs.
Curry delivered her best offensive performance of the young season, posting a season-high 15 kills on .281 hitting while adding four block assists for a season-best 17 points. Kocaalp reached double figures for the second time this season with 14 kills, while Matzke continued her strong start with 12 kills on .391 hitting. The reigning Warrior Invitational All-Tournament Team selection also set a career high with eight total blocks, including seven block assists, and finished just half a point shy of her career high with 16.5 points.
Rocco turned in a career day directing the offense, setting new career highs with 46 assists, four service aces and six digs.
Selin Turgut recorded a career-high five total blocks with one solo and four assists while adding 19 digs. Freshman libero
Ammecy Ray reached double-digit digs for the first time in her career with 10, while
Amber Glen added 15 digs.
Game Two: Quincy 3, Northeastern State 1
Quincy carried its momentum into the nightcap and wasted little time taking control, dominating the opening set 25-10. The service line immediately became a major weapon for the Hawks, with
Amber Glen ripping off four consecutive aces during an early run before
Milica Stamenic added another. Quincy continued to pile on from there, taking a commanding 1-0 advantage. The Hawks were also incredibly efficient offensively, hitting .450 with 10 kills and just one error, while holding Northeastern State to .120 with seven kills and four errors.
Northeastern State answered in a tightly contested second set, holding off the Hawks 25-23 to even the match. Quincy finished the frame with 12 kills and four errors while hitting .216, but the RiverHawks turned in their best offensive set of the match, hitting .265 with 14 kills and five errors.
Quincy quickly regained control in the third, using its serving pressure to create separation. Stamenic delivered three consecutive service aces during a lengthy run, while
Aysem Kocaalp and Monika Bíliková helped the Hawks maintain the advantage offensively as Quincy took the frame 25-20. The Hawks hit .258 with 11 kills and three errors in the set, while Northeastern State hit .212 with 12 kills and five errors.
The Hawks put the match away in the fourth set with another strong combination of serving and efficient offense. Kocaalp took over from the service line during a key run, recording multiple aces while
Erin Matzke and
Olivia Curry supplied kills to create separation. Quincy never relinquished control and closed out the 25-16 victory to complete a perfect opening day in Lawton. The Hawks hit .294 with 13 kills and three errors in the final frame while limiting Northeastern State to just .061 with eight kills and six errors.
Quincy finished the match hitting .287 with 46 kills and only 11 attack errors while holding Northeastern State to a .168 hitting percentage. The Hawks were especially effective from the service line, totaling 15 aces.
Matzke continued her outstanding start to the season, leading Quincy with 13 kills while committing no errors on 20 attacks for a .650 hitting percentage. It marked her second consecutive double-digit kill performance and her third through the first six matches of the season. Bíliková produced the best offensive outing of her collegiate career, setting a career high with 11 kills while hitting .647 with no errors on 17 swings. Kocaalp added nine kills to her six aces, while Curry continued her strong freshman campaign with seven kills on .368 hitting.
Glen complemented her career-high serving performance with a team-best 15 digs, while
Macey Rocco directed the attack with 31 assists and seven digs.
Quincy will look to finish the Cameron Invitational on a high note Saturday with two more matches inside Aggie Gymnasium. The Hawks take on tournament host Cameron University at 11:00 AM before closing the weekend against Newman University at 3:00 PM.
