Blue Devils turn tide with flourish at end of first set, roll from there in WB6 victory over Pioneers

QUINCY — Madison Loos could sense it.

So could Ayanna Douglas.

Loos could feel a momentum swing coming together late in the first set Thursday evening. That’s when the emotional ebb and flow of that opening round began trending toward the Quincy High School volleyball team.

Eventually, that ebb and flow morphed into a bona fide tidal wave, which sported a distinct of shade of blue.

Quincy finished off Rock Island Alleman 25-22, 25-10 in a Western Big 6 Conference matchup that was initially highly entertaining in a back-and-forth opening set. Not so much for the nightcap, however, when the Blue Devils outscored Alleman down the stretch 19-4 for what wound up being the equivalent to a volleyball rout.

“I could feel the momentum changing late in that first game,” said Loos, whose front-line presence — both offensively and defensively — was a key for the Blue Devils, who scored six of the set’s final seven points.

Douglas just grinned when asked about those closing minutes.

“Yeah, I could sense (the momentum) changing,” Douglas said. “We were able to pull it together and win that first game.”

Quincy coach Kate Brown enjoyed the ride on that Blue Devil emotional rollercoaster.

“The momentum really did shift,” Brown said. “I think we could all feel it.”

Quincy improved its record to 7-4, including 3-2 in the WB6. Alleman lost for the fourth time in its last five tries and is now 4-5 overall and 1-4 in the WB6.

“More girls are now (playing important roles), and that is helping,” Douglas said. “It’s all coming together.”

Douglas, who had a game-high six kills, said she feels a key to the Blue Devils’ success is their approach to every game.

“We look at every opponent like they’re 0-0,” she said.

That mindset could prove beneficial next week when Quincy hosts Jacksonville (3-9) on Monday and travels to United Township (2-10) before a key contest against Rock Island (6-7), which is 5-0 in the WB6, on Thursday at QHS.

“We won’t be looking ahead to Rock Island,” Douglas promised.

Loos likes the direction the Blue Devils are headed.

“We’re still building right now,” said Loos, who matched teammate Kaley Summers with five kills. “We can be better, and we’ll get there. We’re playing with more confidence right now, and we’re really beginning to bond with one another.”

Brown, too, feels the best is yet to come.

“I still think we can do better,” she said. “I have high expectations for this team. I hope we can keep building our confidence heading into that game with Rock Island.”

Other stat leaders for Quincy against Alleman included Ava Crist with 13 assists, Lanee Schuette with four digs and Summers with four aces.