HAWKS MEET SAGINAW VALLEY STATE: The 22nd-ranked Rockhurst Hawks, 27-6, meet Saginaw Valley State, 19-11, in an NCAA Division II Midwest Regional first-round match Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Big Rapids, Mich. The Midwest Regional winner will advance to the Division II national quarterfinals, Dec. 8-10, in Sioux Falls, S.D.
TEAM LEADERS: Senior outside hitter Morgan Rietzke leads the team in kills (433) and points (475.5). Freshman middle hitter Mary Rolf is team leader in blocks (104). Junior libero Anne Hellwege has posted a team-high 606 digs. Junior setter Lily Thornberg tops the team with 844 assists. Freshman outside hitter Alyssa Woodman leads the team in service aces (31).
STAT LEADERS: Five Rockhurst players rank among the top 10 statistically in the GLVC. Rietzke ranks third in kills. Mattie Gray is eighth in kills and ninth in hitting percentage. Rolf stands sixth in hitting percentage. Hellwege ranks eighth in digs. Woodman is ninth in service aces. The Hawks rank second in the GLVC in kills, assists and hitting percentage. Nationally, the Hawks rank fifth in team kills, sixth in team assists, 13th in team digs and 14th in hitting percentage.
MORGAN RIETZKE: The senior outside hitter from Kansas City, Mo., earned D2CCA All-Region First Team honors in a vote by sports information directors. She was a D2CCA All-Region Second Team selection in 2015. Rietzke has 1,612 kills in 137 career matches. Rietzke ranks 38th in the nation in total kills.
COACH TRACY RIETZKE: Rietzke currently ranks first among NCAA Division II women's coaches in career victories (1,180). He also ranks sixth in career victories for all three levels of NCAA women's coaches. He has guided the Hawks to a 1,008-205 record since 1988. Rietzke has also taken 16 teams into national tournament play while competing in the NAIA and NCAA.
NCAA PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Hawks have a 12-9 record in nine trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks are returning to the NCAA Championships for the third year in a row. Rockhurst has reached the regional finals seven times between 1998 and 2015. The Hawks defeated Ferris State in the 2015 NCAA Midwest Region finals. Rockhurst also reached the regional finals in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2014.
