Blue Devils open WB6 play against Rocks with all-around dominant effort

QUINCY — Make no mistake about it, as impressive as the Quincy High School volleyball team was Thursday night — and the Blue Devils were impressive — the best is probably yet to come.

Quincy disposed of Rock Island, 25-5, 25-15 in the Western Big 6 Conference opener, a matchup that was over shortly after it began. The Blue Devils needed just 17 minutes to win the first set and 21 minutes to take the nightcap.

“I think we’re right on schedule,”  QHS senior outside/middle hitter Ayanna Douglas said. “We have learned from our past, and we know there’s so much more we can accomplish.”

The Blue Devils, especially the seniors, are looking to continue their improvement under fourth-year coach Katelin Brown.

“These girls want to leave a legacy,” said Brown, who since becoming coach in 2021 has guided Quincy to records of 8-26, 18-18 and 21-14.

And she’s looking for that upward spike to continue, thanks in part to an intangible.

Brown said the Blue Devils (5-2) have worked extensively on the mental aspect of the sport.

“That was one of the things we really concentrated on during the offseason,” she said.

Kaley Summers, the senior outside hitter who produced seven kills and six aces against Rock Island (0-3), agrees with her coach.

“Our mindset is so important,” said Summers, who leads the Blue Devils with 35 kills across the first seven games. “I feel like we’re very confident in what we can do and the impact we can have. We’ve improved our consistency a lot from last season.”

QHS was certainly consistent against Rock Island, an opponent that had won five of the previous six meetings against the Blue Devils. Rock Island, however, is in a rebuilding mode and never threatened Quincy in this matchup.

The Blue Devils had five separate runs of five-plus points (Rock Island had zero), including a 10-0 burst in the first set and an 11-0 spurt in the second set.

Douglas admitted she felt this contest was over early, noting how QHS took charge of the momentum — and the scoreboard — from the outset. Douglas also echoed her coach when talking about the “legacy” this group of seniors wants to leave.

“It’s important for the young girls below us, the ones who will be coming along in the next few years,” said Douglas, who ranks at or near the top in QHS kills, blocks, digs and aces.

Most of Quincy’s numbers against Rock Island were spread throughout the roster, although setter Elise Damon emerged as the assists leader (8) and libero Abby Bunch topped the Blue Devils in digs (6).

“There was no one real standout for us tonight,” Brown said. “Everyone was able to contribute.”

Damon is now averaging a team-best 8.7 assists and Bunch a Blue Devil-leading 4.2 digs per game.