Perfect dozen: QU volleyball team overcomes slow starts in middle sets to dispatch UMSL

QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s volleyball team never recovered from the opening salvo the University of Missouri-St. Louis launched at the beginning of the second set Saturday.

And it seemed like another punch from the Tritons at the start of the third set had the Hawks on their heels.

Then Emily Rehagen stepped to the serving line.

Quincy erased a three-point deficit with Rehagen serving eight consecutive points, turning the tide of the Great Lakes Valley Conference match and giving the Hawks a 25-23, 12-25, 25-17, 25-21 victory in their first match of the season at Pepsi Arena.

It extended the Hawks’ winning streak to 12 matches, the best start to a season during the NCAA Division II era, while showcasing this group’s resiliency and moxie.

After winning the first set by scoring seven of the final 10 points, the Hawks found themselves in a 8-0 hole out of the gate in the second set. It happened again in the third set when the Tritons scored the first four points and led 5-1.

Quincy kept chipping away and pulled within 15-13 on Emme Wijnbergen’s kill. Rehagen served the next eight points with the Hawks registering a kill for each one. Wijnbergen had four kills, Mattison Norris three and Alyssa Grimm one in that stretch.

UMSL jumped ahead 6-2 in the fourth set, only to see the Hawks rattle off three consecutive points on Rehagen’s serve and take advantage of several attack errors by the Tritons.

Wijnbergen led the Hawks with 21 kills, while Rehagen finished with 16 and Norris had 15. Rehagen also had 17 digs and Norris 13. Makayla Knoblauch finished with 45 assists and 12 digs.