QU volleyball team wins skyrocket due to cultural change

Quincy (WGEM) – Mattison Norris admits he’s lost his love for the games he grew up playing.

It was December 2019, and Norris decided DePaul’s women’s volleyball program wasn’t for her.

“I was very unhappy. I just didn’t like sports anymore,” admitted the Alexandria, Indiana, native who committed to DePaul during her sophomore year at Cathedral High School.

So Norris entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“I decided not to go to Division 2 or JUCO,” Norris said. “My pride kept getting in the way.

“Afterwards I spoke to my mother (Tara) and she told me to be open about all the options. She told me to try different things. It was nice to hear her .”

Meanwhile, first-year coach Mark Jones at Quincy College, 315 miles from Chicago, has been hired to rebuild a program that has had little success over the past two decades.

“The first thing we had to do was change the culture,” Jones said. Schoolwork, volleyball.

“We are well supported by the university and have new expectations here. Developing a winning culture is important and I think we are doing that.”

Jones’ vision for the future has sold Norris and several other current teammates to the revitalized Hawks program. They went 4-0 in the tournaments in Henderson, Arkansas, and Wayne, Ohio, where he went 4-0 twice and his hard work paid off with 24 wins out of 26 games.

An outside hitter, Norris had 57 kills, a 35% attack rate and three aces in 127 attempts, earning him MVP honors at the Wayne State convention. She was also recognized as GLVC Player of the Week.

Norris, a multimedia journalism major and former WGEM News intern, fell in love with the game again thanks to her coach, Jones, who brought her to Quincy to help rebuild the program.

“Coach Jones is a big reason why I came here and love the game again,” said Norris. I was depressed and didn’t like games.At QU I found a program and a school that I loved.”

Led by Jones, the Hawks went 15-17, 15-7, 18-13 and reached the GLVC tournament semifinals before losing to nationally-ranked Lewis College last year. His QU’s early-season success this year saw him earn votes in the AVCA coaches poll for the first time, with Lewis checking in at his 17th spot.

“It’s great that all the hard work has been recognized,” Jones said of QU’s inclusion in the other vote category. “It’s hard to get into these polls, but that’s not our biggest focus.”

Jones, whose team will play in this weekend’s Arkansas Tech Tournament, hoped the Hawks would capitalize on their early-season success before opening GLVC play on Sept. 15 at the Missouri Rolla. After that, the Hawks will face Missouri St. at his Pepsi arena for the first time on September 17th. Louis.

Regarding QU’s non-meeting schedule, Jones said: “So our challenge is to be mentally prepared and play our best volleyball.

“We want to get better every time we step on the court. That’s probably the biggest reason we’re 8-0.”

Another reason for QU’s success is contributions from across the roster.

–Makayla Knoblauch, a redshirt senior from Leo, Indiana who first joined Jones via Indiana, is a setter, Week 1 GLVC Player of the Week, and a member of the Wayne State All-Tournament Team. was. “She’s the glue,” said Norris.

— Freshman middle blocker Alice Pavan from Mila, Italy has been named to the Wayne State All-Tournament Team.

— Senior outfielder Emily Rihagen from O’Fallon, Missouri, and sophomore Emma Wirnbergen from Mirlo, Holland will attack from their respective positions.

— Redshirt sophomore Libero America Galvan from Fort Worth, Texas rounds out his starting unit with bench support from Collinsville’s Alyssa Grimm and former Quincy High School and John Wood Redshirt Sr. Kylie Wreckers.

Like the coaches, this group of veterans has a single-minded goal of an unforgettable season.

“This team is really special,” said Norris. “We don’t get a lot of recognition, so let our work do the talking. You know how much work and time you put into this, not just your teammates.”

Spoken like someone who truly loves the game again.

Copyright 2022 WGEM. All rights reserved.