The Quincy University women’s volleyball team won 3-1 over McKendree University on Senior Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, at Pepsi Arena.

Pepsi Arena was filled with balloons and decorations for the many families and students who came to celebrate the seniors in their last home game for the Hawks.

The Hawks started the conference game with a convincing first set win of 25-15. They continued their domination they have shown all season throughout the entire game.

In the second set, Emma Wijnbergen brought the whole arena to applause. In a tight rally with the Bearcats, with a score of 9-7, Wijnbergen saved the ball with her foot, allowing the Hawks to go up 10-7.

Later, with a 24-21 lead in the same set, the announcer declared that Wijnbergen had broken the 30-year record for most kills in a season with 503.

Wijnbergen had the most kills in the game, totaling 26. Congzhi Xia, a math professor, said Wijnbergen stood out once again.

“Today there are three players that stood out to me like Emma the senior number 25, she has been amazing this fall, and the four years she has been at QU,” Xia said.

Professor Xia believes it is all the hard work the team has put into this season that made the game a success.

“I love it, it is very inspiring. Especially since it is Senior Day, you see we have many seniors graduating. I love the game because they are good the team, which means they put so much effort and time into making their skills perfect,” Xia said.  

Howard Harlan attended to cheer on his granddaughter, No. 1, Maggie O’Brien from the Hawks. Harlan was simple in his opinion of the game.

“I think it is going the way it should have gone. They have had a remarkable season and I think their hard work is showing on the court. I couldn’t be happier,” Harlan said.

The 3-1 victory was a team effort from both the bench and the players on the court, making an emotional impact on Harlan.

 “I am very proud of the whole team,” Harlan said.

In a tight rally at 23-23, the Hawks tried to advance and take the third set win, but a serving error put the Bearcats ahead at 24-23. Eventually, the Bearcats took the third set with a score of 25-23.

Juri Bauer, a QU student, also showed up to support the Hawks. Bauer believed that the Hawks could have closed out the game earlier.

“I liked today’s game against McKendree even though it was a bit long in the end but I guess that’s normal with two teams that can play at that level,” Bauer said.

The Hawks won the last set, securing a 3-1 victory. At the end of the day, Bauer was convinced that the Hawks deserved the win over the Bearcats.

“From an outside perspective I would say that the matchup was definitely one of the more interesting ones so far, but they did a good job and ultimately deserved the win,” Bauer said.