QU’s Wijnbergen is named GLVC Player of the Year on eve of conference volleyball tournament

QUINCY — Emma Wijnbergen’s record-setting season earned her recognition as the best the Great Lakes Valley Conference has to offer.

Wijnbergen, a senior attacker on the Quincy University women’s volleyball team, was named the GLVC Player of the Year on Thursday, becoming the first Hawk to receive the league’s top postseason honor. Wijnbergen led the Hawks to the top seed in the GLVC Tournament and strong consideration for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The native of Meerlo, Netherlands, Wijnbergen is tied for the third most kills in a single season in GLVC history with 555 and could break the record of 569 kills set by UMSL’s Charlotte Richards during the 2021 season. Her 32 kills against Winona State is the fifth-highest total in GLVC history.

Wijnbergen led the GLVC with 248 kills in league matches only, while recording 10 double-doubles overall and six in league play. She put down 20 or more kills in 15 matches, including five in conference play.

She was named to the All-GLVC first team for the third time in her career.

The Hawks finished the regular season with a 24-4 overall record and 11-2 mark in the GLVC, tying for the top spot with Maryville. By virtue of the tiebreaker, Quincy received the No. 1 seed for the GLVC Tournament and will face eighth-seeded McKendree at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Williamsville High School Fieldhouse in Williamsville, Ill.

Quincy placed two others on the All-GLVC first team — sophomore attacker Susanna Beretti and freshman setter Elena Kasavica.

Beretti finished  third in the conference intotal kills (429) and fourth in kills per set (4.09). She also turned in two of the top-10 best single-game performances this season, collecting a career-high 27 kills against Anderson and 25 kills against Indianapolis.

Kasavica led the conference in assists (1,259) and ranked second in assists per set (11.99). She ranks second in NCAA Division II in total assists and fourth in assists per set. Kasavica also led the conference in total aces (46).