Second-seeded Rockhurst Women's Volleyball advanced to the GLVC Tournament championship game with a five-set win over third-seeded Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) on Friday in Williamsville, Illinois during the GLVC Tournament semifinals.
The Hawks will make their seventh GLVC Tournament championship appearance and not only the second in the last three seasons, but the third in the last five seasons. Rockhurst has also now won four-straight matches and their second against the Tritons over the last week.
Victoria Gray tallied eight kills in the first set to lead Rockhurst to a 25-16 win. Rockhurst used an 11-3 run in the middle of the second set to build a 16-6 lead in route to a 25-17 second-set victory.
The Tritons won the third set, 25-13 and the fourth set, 25-16 to force the deciding fifth set.
UMSL took a 4-3 lead in the fifth set before an 8-2 RU run pushed the Hawks' lead to 11-6. After UMSL scored a point to cut the Rockhurst lead to 11-7, Rockhurst scored the final four points. An
Alyssa McDonald kill, an UMSL attack error, a
Delaney Hope kill and McDonald's final kill from Gray sealed the fifth set, 15-7.
Gray recorded a team-high 15 kills, tallied a .351 hitting percentage and added two service aces. Hope recorded 13 kills, led the Hawks with eight blocks and had a .375 hitting percentage.
Bailey Donnelly had a team-high 21 digs and added four assists.
Molly Trachta collected 25 assists to lead the Hawks while adding eight digs and two kills.
Ali Olson picked up nine kills, four blocks and a .571 hitting percentage.
As a team, the Hawks finished with 66 kills, three service aces, 13 team blocks, 60 assists and 69 digs.
Rockhurst (22-7) will face the GLVC Tournament's top seed and 22nd-ranked Indianapolis in the GLVC Tournament championship on Saturday at 12 noon in Williamsville, Illinois.
