QUINCY, Ill. / SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Truman Volleyball secured its first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament appearance since 2020 with a strong weekend on the road, highlighted by a four-set win at Illinois Springfield on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs split their two matches, falling in four sets at Quincy on Friday before bouncing back with a statement victory over the Prairie Stars to punch their postseason ticket.

Quincy 3, Truman 1 (25-17, 25-12, 23-25, 25-14)

The Bulldogs opened the weekend against one of the league's top teams in Quincy and battled throughout, taking a hard-fought third set before the Hawks closed out the match in four.

Quincy controlled the early momentum, hitting .381 as a team, but Truman found its rhythm in the third. After trailing 21–19, the Bulldogs went on a 6–2 run to take the set 25–23, sparked by kills from Laci Neece and Michaela Goad.

Neece led the Bulldogs with 10 kills on .200 hitting, while Makayla Way was efficient in the middle with eight kills on .667 hitting and five blocks. Goad added nine kills and a block, Autumn Erickson tallied five kills and six total blocks, and Tori Creason directed the offense with 33 assists. Addy Janssen led the back row with 20 digs, and Truman finished the match with 45 kills and 10 team blocks.
 

Truman 3, Illinois Springfield 1 (11-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23)

Truman bounced back in a big way on Saturday, overcoming a slow start to win three straight sets and clinch its first GLVC Tournament berth in five seasons.

After dropping the opening set, the Bulldogs regrouped quickly. Makayla Way ignited the offense with six early kills in the second, and Truman's block settled in as the Bulldogs took the next two sets by identical 25–17 scores.

In the fourth, the Bulldogs showed their composure in crunch time. Michaela Goad came in with multiple late kills, and Way finished off the match with her 12th kill of the match, as the Bulldogs completed the comeback and secured their postseason spot.

Way led the team with 12 kills on .435 hitting and six total blocks, while Goad followed with nine kills on .391 hitting. Hosty and Autumn Erickson each added six kills, and Creason dished out 32 assists. Janssen was a difference-maker defensively with 18 digs, while Jessica Proszenyak and Lily Porter added five aces combined. Truman finished the match hitting .192 while holding UIS to .160.
 

Key Stats – Weekend Totals & Leaders

Team Totals (2 matches):

• Kills: 92 (45 vs Quincy, 47 vs UIS)

• Assists: 72 (39 / 33)

• Service Aces: 9 (2 / 7)

• Blocks: 20 (10 / 10)

• Digs: 132 (53 / 79)

Weekend Leaders:

• Kills: Makayla Way – 20 (8 vs Quincy, 12 vs UIS)

• Assists: Tori Creason – 65 (33 / 32)

• Service Aces: Lily Porter – 4 vs UIS; Jessica Proszenyak – 1 in each match

• Blocks: Makayla Way – 9 total; Autumn Erickson – 8

• Digs: Addy Janssen – 38 (20 vs Quincy, 18 vs UIS)

Up Next:
The Bulldogs now sit in 6th place in the GLVC with one game to play in the regular season. While, their exact postseason matchup remains to be determined, there is still business to be taken care of on Senior Day versus Upper Iowa. Join us in Pershing Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15th at 1:00 PM for the final home match for seniors Makayla Way and Jessica Proszenyak.

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