QUINCY, Ill. – The Malone University volleyball team was swept in their third and fourth matches of the Quincy University Hawk Invitational on Saturday against the tournament hosts as well as William Jewell College. The Pioneers fall to 2-6 on the season while Quincy is 7-0 and William Jewell is 1-6.
 
MALONE vs QUINCY RECAP:
Fueled by Brianne Salinas and Kassidy Gorsuch, Malone remained close to their opponents in the first set at 15-15, but a steady offense from Quincy propelled the nearly nationally-ranked Hawks to a 25-18 win.
 
The Pioneers went on a 4-0 run to begin play in the second set thanks in part to a couple of blocks up front by Jaymes Gilbert. An eight-point scoring run for Quincy allowed them to retake the advantage at 10-6 and the team would go up 2-0 after a 25-21 set victory.
 
The most lopsided of the three sets would be the third at 25-13 in favor of the Hawks. Emma Weirich had two kills in the set, but Malone was held to a negative hitting percentage in the final period of play.
 
The Pioneers had more blocks (10-7), but came up short in kills (46-25) and digs (50-40). Four solo blocks by Gilbert are a career-high for the sophomore. Gabby Pelfrey had 14 of the team's 22 assists.
 
MALONE vs WILLIAM JEWELL RECAP:
Malone struggled late in set one and ultimately fell 25-17 to the Cardinals. Salinas and Marissa Smith picked up where the team left off in match one with a solo block apiece, but a 6-1 scoring run for William Jewell allowed them to pull away.
 
The team trailed 17-12 in the second set, but rallied to be competitive to the end. Kills by Grace Rosko cut the deficit to one at 23-22, but the Cardinals secured the final two points needed to take a 2-0 lead. The Pioneer offense was as good as it had looked all day with 14 kills and five errors in the second.
 
A massive 12-0 run in favor of William Jewell doomed Malone to a 25-11 loss as the team went winless in the four-match event. The Cardinals had 18 kills and just two errors in the third.
 
Salinas and Gorsuch were the leaders on offense with seven kills each. Macy McCauley had 10 digs to pace the defense.
 
UP NEXT:
Non-conference play continues for the Pioneers against Wheeling University on September 17 beginning at 6:00 P.M.