Surge at end of first set carries over as Hannibal rallies to beat QHS in cross-river volleyball match

QUINCY — Hannibal’s volleyball team proved Monday night it’s not necessarily how you begin the process.

It’s the finished product that matters most.

The Pirates’ performance in much of the first set of what was an eventual 2-1 victory over Quincy was … well, ummm … rather forgettable. 

What was most memorable, however, was Hannibal’s close-to-complete domination covering the closing two sets.

Hannibal finished with a flourish in the first set, only to drop a 25-23 verdict. But a warning had been served. The Pirates had done little but go through the motions until rallying from a 22-17 deficit to pull within 24-23, only to see the Blue Devils apply the set winner via an Ayanna Douglas kill from the left side.

“The way we played at the end of that first set was absolutely a key,” first-year Hannibal coach Kelsey Pollard said.

Hannibal followed that rapid — albeit not quite complete — rally with a relatively easy 25-20 victory in the second set, and then cemented its win with a rather one-sided 25-16 effort in the deciding set.

“Our discipline on defense was a big key,” Pollard said. “This was a tough match. Quincy is a good team. Playing Quincy and (Quincy Notre Dame) are always big games for us since they’re only 30 minutes away.”

Abbie Martin, a senior outside hitter who registered nine kills, six digs and two aces, echoed her coach.

“We got the momentum at the end of that first set, and that really helped,” she said.

Martin feels Hannibal’s veteran returnees are mixing well with the club’s younger players as the Pirates (14-4) begin pointing toward the postseason, which starts in three weeks. Martin, plus junior setter Malia Stolte, senior middle hitter Emilia Bates and junior libero Kegan Greening were All-North Central Missouri Conference selections a year ago.

“We always need to improve, but we’ve really been playing well lately,” Martin said.

Marisa Falconer came up with 10 digs, five kills and four blocks for the Pirates. Stolte collected 23 assists and 14 digs, and Lyla Dorsey produced eight kills and eight digs.

Quincy coach Katelin Brown’s assessment carried the same tone as the Blue Devils’ opponent.

“What Hannibal did at the end of the first set carried over into the rest of the match,” Brown said. “Hannibal is always a good opponent, They’re always scrappy.”

Douglas led Quincy with seven kills, while Elise Damon notched 10 assists and Abby Bunch eight digs.

Quincy (11-4) will have little time to digest the loss to Hannibal. The Blue Devils travel to Rock Island on Tuesday night and host Geneseo Thursday in Western Big 6 Conference matchups. Quincy, Geneseo and Moline were all 6-1 in WB6 play entering the week.

“We’re excited about the conference games we have coming up this week,” Brown said. “We’re tied for first and we feel we can win the conference.”

Brown reported the Blue Devils will begin the stretch run of their season minus senior outside hitter Kaley Summers, who has missed the last three games and will have season-ending knee surgery this week. Summers was among the team leaders in kills prior to her injury.