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Rockhurst University Athletics

Victory huddle

Women's Volleyball

No. 22 Hawks face UIS in NCAA Midwest Regional

The 22nd-ranked Rockhurst Hawks, 30-6, meet the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars, 25-7, in an NCAA Division II Midwest Regional first-round match Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri. The Midwest Regional winner will advance to the Division II national quarterfinals, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

GLVC CHAMPIONS: The Hawks captured their second GLVC Volleyball Championship on Saturday, pulling away for a 3-1 win over 14th-ranked Drury (21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20) in the finals of the GLVC Tournament in East Peoria, Illinois. Karli Reichert led the Hawks with 22 kills and 17 digs. Alyssa Woodman posted 14 kills and four blocks. Mary Rolf collected 12 kills and six blocks. Emma Kriete added 10 kills and 13 digs. Kalie Arnold tallied a team-high 21 digs. Dani Prusha finished with 58 assists and 18 digs.

TEAM LEADERS: Karli Reichert leads the team in kills (488) and points (451.5). Emily Matio is the team leader in blocks (113). Kalie Arnold has posted a team-high 814 digs. Dani Prusha tops the team with 1,267 assists.

STAT LEADERS: Six Rockhurst players rank among the top 10 statistically in the GLVC. Karli Reichert ranks fourth in kills, sixth in points and ninth in service aces. Alyssa Woodman is ninth in kills and 10th in points. Emily Matio and Mary Rolf rank second and fifth in hitting percentage. Kalie Arnold ranks second in digs and Dani Prusha is seventh in assists. Reichert and Woodman both rank in the top 20 nationally in total kills this season. Reichert ranks 13th and has 1,092 career kills. Woodman ranks 19th and has 1,243 career kills. Nationally, the Hawks rank 14th in hitting percentage, 19th in kills per set and 24th in assists per set.

NATIONAL LEADER: Kalie Arnold, a senior libero from Topeka, Kansas, leads the country with 814 digs and ranks 12th nationally in digs per set (6.17). She was a First Team All-GLVC selection this year. Arnold has 1,626 kills in 136 career matches.

COACH TRACY RIETZKE: Rietzke currently ranks first among NCAA Division II women's coaches in career victories (1,242). He also ranks fourth in career victories for all three levels of NCAA women's coaches. He has guided the Hawks to a 1,070-220 record since 1988. Rietzke has also taken 18 teams into national tournament play while competing in the NAIA and NCAA.

NCAA PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Hawks have a 16-11 record in 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks are returning to the NCAA Championships for the fifth year in a row. Rockhurst has reached the regional finals eight times since 1998. The Hawks defeated Lewis in the 2017 NCAA Midwest Regional finals and got past Ferris State in the 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional finals. Rockhurst also reached the regional finals in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2014.
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Players Mentioned

Kalie Arnold

#5 Kalie Arnold

L
5' 5"
Senior
Topeka Saints
Emma Kriete

#13 Emma Kriete

RS
5' 11"
Junior
Rockwood Thunder
Emily Matio

#18 Emily Matio

MH
6' 1"
Senior
Munciana
Dani Prusha

#10 Dani Prusha

S
5' 9"
Sophomore
Premier
Karli Reichert

#6 Karli Reichert

OH / RS
5' 11"
Junior
Club North
Mary Rolf

#2 Mary Rolf

MH / RS
5' 11"
Junior
Platform Elite
Alyssa Woodman

#11 Alyssa Woodman

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Premier

Players Mentioned

Kalie Arnold

#5 Kalie Arnold

5' 5"
Senior
Topeka Saints
L
Emma Kriete

#13 Emma Kriete

5' 11"
Junior
Rockwood Thunder
RS
Emily Matio

#18 Emily Matio

6' 1"
Senior
Munciana
MH
Dani Prusha

#10 Dani Prusha

5' 9"
Sophomore
Premier
S
Karli Reichert

#6 Karli Reichert

5' 11"
Junior
Club North
OH / RS
Mary Rolf

#2 Mary Rolf

5' 11"
Junior
Platform Elite
MH / RS
Alyssa Woodman

#11 Alyssa Woodman

6' 0"
Junior
Premier
OH