Volleyball: Hawks improve record to 7-1

The Rockhurst Hawks won three matches at the Southwest Baptist Bearcat Bash Friday and Saturday in Bolivar, Mo., to improve their season record to 7-1.

On Saturday, freshman Katie Loescher posted 12 kills to lead the Hawks to a 3-1 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. Middle hitters Emily Ready and Kelsey Stratman combined for 16 kills and seven blocks. Freshman setter Whitney Kostal collected 33 assists and seven digs. Junior libero Victoria Mahl added 17 digs. Rockhurst fell to seventh-ranked Washburn 3-0 earlier on Saturday. Loescher led the Hawks with eight kills, while Kostal finished with 22 assists and seven digs.

Loescher collected 16 kills to lead Rockhurst to a 3-0 win over East Central (Okla.) in Friday’s opener. The Hawks finished with 40 kills while posting a .375 hitting percentage. Kostal added 30 assists and Mahl had a team-high 12 digs.

Rockhurst came back to post a 3-1 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Friday’s second match behind the strong hitting from Loescher, Stratman and sophomore Maggie Hummel. After dropping the second set 25-23, the Hawks closed out the match with 25-13 and 25-12 wins. Mahl posted 19 digs, while Kostal totaled 38 assists and five blocks.

The Hawks open Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Drury on Friday, Sept. 14 and at Missouri S&T on Saturday, Sept. 15.