Volleyball: Hawks capture GLVC Championship

The Rockhurst Hawks defeated Lewis (Ill.) 3-1 to capture their first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball Championship Sunday in Indianapolis. The Hawks completed their 10th consecutive victory by winning the fourth set, 25-21, in the finals of the GLVC Tournament.

Rockhurst, 28-6, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The eighth-seeded Hawks will meet top-seeded Indianapolis in a first-round match in the Midwest Regional on Thursday, Nov. 29.

"Obviously, winning this tournament is huge," said Rockhurst coach Tracy Rietzke. "Our team did a great job coming back (from an 18-8 deficit) to win the second set. We chipped away and got it done."

Maggie Hummel led the Hawks with 14 kills and 22 digs. Alyssa Arnold posted 12 kills and 17 digs.  Emily Ready and Katie Loescher each added 11 kills. Victoria Mahl collected 27 digs. Whitney Kostal collected 48 assists and 19 digs.

On Saturday, the Hawks upset 19th-ranked Indianapolis 3-1 in the GLVC Tournament semifinals. Loescher led the Hawks with 15 kills and six blocks. Hummel posted 14 kills and 13 digs. Kelsey Stratman added 10 kills and six blocks. Kostal collected 47 assists and 10 digs. Mahl had a team-high 21 digs.

On Friday, Stratman posted 17 kills and seven blocks to power Rockhurst to a 3-2 victory over Bellarmine in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals. Mahl posted a career-high 37 digs. Loescher finished with 15 kills and four blocks. Ready totaled 14 kills and seven blocks. Hummel added 12 kills and 18 digs. Kostal collected 53 assists, 20 digs and five blocks.