Rockhurst women's volleyball captured a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season championship for the first time since 2021 with a 3-0 sweep over McKendree on Senior Day Saturday (Nov. 7) at Mason-Halpin Field House.
The Hawks closed out the regular season with a 20-7 overall record and an 11-2 mark in GLVC play after defeating the Bearcats by scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-10.
Rockhurst dominated offensively, hitting a season-high .473 as a team while holding McKendree to a .123 hitting percentage. The Hawks recorded 42 kills with just seven attacking errors in the three-set victory.
Alyssa McDonald led Rockhurst with 10 kills and a .625 hitting percentage without committing an attacking error. Delaney Hope added nine kills on 12 attempts without an error for a team-high .750 hitting percentage. Hope also finished with four blocks and a service ace.
Ali Olson and Victoria Gray each contributed seven kills. Olson posted a .455 hitting percentage and four blocks, while Gray added four digs and two blocks. Molly Trachta led the Hawks with 23 assists, while Kaitlyn Dumpit added 13 assists. Bailey Donnelly collected a team-high 13 digs and two service aces, while Carlie Pandjaris finished with five digs and two aces.
The Hawks controlled the opening set with a .583 hitting percentage before recording 16 kills in the second set. Rockhurst put the match away with a dominant third set, jumping out to an 18-4 lead before securing the 25-10 victory. As a team, Rockhurst finished with 42 kills, 40 assists, six service aces, nine team blocks and 36 digs.
The victory capped off a perfect Senior Day celebration and a two-match weekend sweep after Rockhurst defeated Missouri-St. Louis on Friday (Nov. 6). The Hawks finished the regular season with a 20-7 overall record and an 11-2 GLVC mark, earning a share of the conference regular-season championship for the first time since 2021.
Rockhurst is expected to enter the GLVC Tournament as the No. 2 seed after splitting the regular-season series results with fellow conference leaders Indianapolis and Missouri-St. Louis. The Hawks will travel to Williamsville, Ill., for the GLVC Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 12-14.
