Volleyball: Hawks post 3-0 win over Maryville

Freshman Katie Loescher finished with 15 kills to power Rockhurst to a 3-0 win over Maryville Saturday at RU's Mason-Halpin Field House. The win improves the Hawks to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Loescher posted eight kills to lead Rockhurst to a 25-21 win the first set. The Hawks breezed to 25-14 and 25-15 wins in the second and third sets. Rockhurst posted 44 kills with a .362 hitting percentage. Emily Ready added 12 kills while hitting .706. Whitney Kostal collected 37 assists. Victoria Mahl and Maggie Hummel combined for 26 digs.

On Friday, freshman Kelsey Stratman posted 18 kills, 13 blocks and 26.5 points to help rally Rockhurst to a 3-2 victory over Missouri-St. Louis at home. The Hawks overcame five match points by the Tritons to win the fourth set, 32-30, and even the match at 2-2. Rockhurst edged UMSL 15-13 in the fifth set. The Hawks also won the second set, 25-21.

Loescher finished with 15 kills and 15.5 points. Hummel and Ready combined for 22 kills and 11 blocks. Kostal collected 56 assists, 18 digs and seven blocks. Mahl had a team-high 20 digs. Lauren Poulicek added 13 digs.

On Tuesday, Hummel and Loescher combined for 25 kills to lead Rockhurst to a 3-0 victory over William Jewell in its home opener. The Hawks rallied from a 10-1 deficit to win the first set, 25-18. The Hawks won the next two sets by identical 25-18 scores. The Hawks finished with 42 kills while posting a .212 hitting percentage.

Kostal collected 36 assists and 10 digs. Poulicek totaled a team-high 13 digs. Mahl and Riley Russell both posted 12 digs. Ready added eight kills and three blocks.

The Hawks host Missouri Western on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before returning to conference play at Quincy on Friday, Sept. 28.