EAST PEORIA, Ill. – It was a tight first set, but the No. 21 Rockhurst Hawks (28-7) pulled away to sweep the UIndy volleyball team (21-8) in the GLVC Championship Tournament semifinal.
 
Kyra Simmons led the Greyhounds with 10 kills on .450 hitting, while MaKenna Barnhart (14) and Gillian Santana (11) each posted double-figure digs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Greyhounds came out firing in the opening set, with Katie Furlong leading the team with five kills. However, the Rockhurst attack remained balanced and efficient with four hitters with at least three kills as the Hawks took the win, 25-21.
 
Rockhurst did not look back from there, limiting the Greyhounds to just 28 points in the final two sets. UIndy mustered seven kills in the second frame, while Rockhurst cruised with a .480 hitting percentage. The Hawks upped the ante in the final set, attacking at a .486 clip in the decider.
 
Barnhart recorded five of her 14 digs in the third set, while Santana tallied six in the opener.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Simmons finished the GLVC Championship Tournament with 21 kills on a combined .364 hitting
-Senior setter Alyssa Spears managed to dish out 31 assists in the loss, as the team totaled 35 kills
-Rockhurst recorded a sideout clip of at least 70 percent in each set
 
MORE NOTES
2019 GLVC Player of the Year Karli Reichert tallied nine kills on .364 hitting … Julia Kruzan recorded three scores on five total attempts … Rockhurst will now play Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday afternoon in search for its second straight league tournament title.
 
UP NEXT
UIndy now await its fate in the NCAA Midwest Regional, which will be announced on Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. The Greyhounds were ranked eighth in the latest poll, with Ashland (7), Saginaw Valley State (9) and Bellarmine (10) all losing their first-round tournament matches earlier this week.