HAMDEN — In a dominant performance fueled by the honored seniors Saturday night, Quinnipiac women’s volleyball swept the Rider Broncs in straight sets, extending its win streak to 11 before the final weekend of MAAC regular season play.
“It was great,” head coach Kyle Robinson said. “Especially when we earn it. I’ll take it.”
It took some time for Quinnipiac to find its footing, starting off the first set with a bit of back-and-forth with the Broncs. Rider held its lead for the first 20 points, until a service ace from senior middle blocker Tuana Turhan — who made the starting line-up tonight — shifted the momentum in Quinnipiac’s favor.
“I’m proud of her,” Robinson said. “It’s what we wanna see. We wanna see our bench come in and put the work in. It’s very difficult to do what our starters do. And it’s maybe even more difficult to be on the bench for the most of the season, come in and do the work. And (Turhan) did an amazing job.”
Tonight, the Turkish native recorded two kills, an ace, a solo block, a block assist and a dig.
“Her sticking to the game plan and getting it done, couldn’t ask for more,” Robinson said.
Once that momentum shifted, Rider just could not find its way back on the proverbial horse. Despite matching the Bobcats in total attacks (88), the Broncs trailed in every other category that mattered, while leading in service, block and reception errors.
“It speaks to how good we are,” Robinson said. “I know Rider’s coach very well, we go way back, he’s a good coach, they’re coached well. This is not indicative of who they normally are. Our girls have been working very hard and they’ve been doing a good job at not getting complacent and always trying to get better. I don’t care how good we are, we still gotta get better.”
Turhan wasn’t the only senior shining tonight. Outside hitter Ginevra Giovagnoni led the team with 10 kills. Outside hitter Yagmur Gunes recorded two aces, seven kills, a solo block and six digs. Middle blocker Milena Silva killed three points and notched two block assists and a solo block. Setter Damla Gunes earned a kill, two aces and 24 assists — just five shy of her breaking the 4,100 total assists line.
“Before I came here I knew I wanted to bring something to the table and make history,” Damla Gunes said. “I don’t really care about the numbers anymore, I could make zero assists if we win the MAAC I’d be fine with it. It feels really good, but also my assists come from my teammates. If they don’t get the kill, I don’t get the assists.”
Twelve out of the 15 players on the roster are international, with hours in time difference between Hamden and their home. Often, their families can’t catch a live game, if they are even able to watch at all. That changed for the graduating students as their families flew in to support them.
“It was a very special weekend, we focus on having fun on the court,” Yagmur Gunes said. “I haven’t seen (my parents) since mid-July, it feels very special playing in front of them live. It gives me a different kind of motivation.”
And that definitely fueled the rest of the team as well. Quinnipiac’s 11 kills just in the second set served as an example of how the rest of the game went, as the Bobcats swept the Broncs 25-16, 25-13 and 25-16.
While the season is far from over for the Bobcats and it might’ve not even been their last home game, as the possibility of them hosting the MAAC Championship is still on the horizon, emotions were running high. This graduating class certainly left an impact on the program, being the foundation of Quinnipiac’s first-ever MAAC title.
“It’s everything to me,” Robinson said. “It’s a special thing to have the privilege to lead other people. Even more special when the people are about the things I say to them. It’s historic. They’re the first. They brought a championship to a program that was torched at one point. This class is historic.”
Every single one of the seniors has left their impact on the team, whether on or off the court. And Robinson echoes that every single time.
“You got (Damla and Yagmur Gunes), (Silva), (Giovagnoni), (graduate opposite Elena Giacomini) and (Turhan), and I know no one’s gonna believe me about (Turhan), but how do you replace those six people?” Robinson said. “Obviously those five are easily in my opinion the top five players in the league in their positions. But even Titi, who comes to work every single day, and there’s never any drama. How do you replace that? It’s tough. We have to find a way to make the next group even better, and that’s on me, that’s where the artistry of coaching comes in.”
Quinnipiac will be on the road next weekend for its final two match-ups of the regular season, facing Niagara and Canisius. The two games will determine Quinnipiac’s final position going into the MAAC Tournament.
