QU volleyball team earns NCAA tourney bid as fourth seed in Midwest Region

QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s volleyball team is back in the NCAA Tournament.

The pairings for the NCAA Division II national tournament were released Monday night, and the Hawks earned the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region. They will open against fifth-seeded Grand Valley State on Nov. 30 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Mark Twain Building.

UMSL is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, followed by No. 2 Ferris State and No. 3 Lewis.

Quincy sits with a 24-5 record, but needs to rekindle some momentum. The Hawks have lost four of their last five matches, including falling to Maryville in four sets in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

The Hawks are led by junior outside hitter Emma Wijnbergen, who received first-team All-GLVC honors and has a team-high 481 kills to go with 313 digs. Also earning first-team all-conference honors were sophomore middle blocker Alice Pavan and graduate student setter Brianna Merkel. Pavan has 120 blocks and 332 kills, while Merkel has 1,256 assists and 272 digs.

Last year, Quincy made its first NCAA Tournament appearance as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and reached the semifinals, capping a historic season with a 28-3 record.