The records keep pouring in for the women’s volleyball team, as senior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes registered her 1000th career kill on Friday night’s sweep against Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. The rematch of last year’s MAAC semifinals again finished with Bobcat glory.
The victory was much needed for Quinnipiac, coming off a stunning upset loss to Niagara that it would rather leave in the past.
It was Gunes who led the Bobcats in kills, with 14. She needed 10 going into the night to become the fifth Bobcat with four digits in the kill column.
The story of the first set was freshman middle blocker Asia Belli and her nine point run that entirely shifted the matches’ momentum.
When Belli first stepped to the service line, the score was 10-8 in Rider’s favor. Three aces, three Bobcat kills and two Bronc timeouts later and Quinnipiac found themselves in the driver’s seat, ahead 17-10.
They coasted on that energy, staying on the offensive and routinely forcing Rider out of system. Gunes capped off the first set with her fourth kill of the afternoon, giving Quinnipiac a 25-21 win.
The next set started the same way, as Gunes earned another kill and another point for the Bobcats. The second remained much closer, as the two teams went point for point.
Quinnipiac utilized some great defensive coverage to keep the ball alive and senior setter Damla Gunes found the only hitter not clustered towards the upper left corner of the court, giving a pipe set to her sister, Yagmur. Yagmur blasted the ball toward the back of the Rider court, beyond the defenders. When it landed, it was her eight kill and put the Bobcats up 14-11.
After another 15 points and one Yagmur kill, the milestone swing occurred.
Damla set Yagmur a traditional “four ball” set. Nice and high, out to the antenna. It’s the standardized set for an outside hitter. Rider momentarily spoiled her moment, returning the ball to Quinnipiac’s half. Gifted a perfect pass, Damla set her sister again.
This time, the set appeared to be a “thirty-two”. That set is about the width of two balls inside the antenna, and does not reach the same height as the “four ball.” Think of it as a changeup in baseball, a slightly different look in an attempt to baffle the opposition.
It works to perfection, the block attempt from the Broncs is pushed all the way to the pin, and Yagmur is more than free to blast a ball that the Rider libero cannot react quickly enough to. Her 1000th career kill.
Now up 22-19, Quinnipiac was able to fend off the Broncs enough to take the second set 25-23.
The third set opened again with the teams trading points. Senior outside hitter Ginevra Giovagnoni checked into the game. She somehow managed to navigate a very tough pass to Damla, who found graduate opposite hitter Elena Giacomini on a backset, tying the set at 15 with a forceful backrow attack. Rider followed that with an attack error, forcing a timeout from their coach.
Giovagnoni and Giacomini are the 2023 and 2024 MAAC Players of the Year, respectively. They are also both from Italy, but have yet to see extended court time together. Giacomini only arrived in Hamden last season, when Giovagnoni was limited to just four games with an injury.
The Bobcats came out of the time out electrified, slamming three straight kills to pull away, 19-16. Belli added her fourth ace on the night and Damla all but sealed the game with two aces of her own. The Bobcats would take the set 25-17.
The outcome of the match left both teams as 4-2 in conference play, tied for third place.
Quinnipiac will travel to Jersey City, N.J. on Saturday to take on the St. Peter’s Peacocks, looking to avenge one of their four MAAC losses from 2024.
