Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU women's volleyball team defeated the Nationally recognized Rockhurst Hawks Friday evening in a 5-set thriller. This was the first Bearcat win over Rockhurst since 1987 and the first win against a team receiving votes or better in a National poll in over 10 years.

"This big game was really something we needed at this point in the season. From the beginning the energy in the gym just felt electric and the whole team was playing like a machine" Junior Katie Pogue said, "I'm so proud of how everyone played and how we went out their and played the best game we could! This really meant a lot to our seniors since it's our last home weekend and I'm glad we got to pull this out for them."
 
Early on, it looked as if it was going to be a Bearcat sweep as they won the first two sets gaining momentum. The next two sets swung in the Hawks favor as they knotted the match up sending it into a thrilling 5^th set. With all the momentum seeming lost, in true Bearcat fashion they showed their resilience taking an early 8-5 lead in the final set. After the Hawks tied the game at 10-10 they traded points until SBU won two straight taking a 17-15 victory.
 
Leading the team in kills and scoring three of the final four points for the Bearcats was sophomore Hannah Jackson. She recorded 18 kills, the most by her in almost a month, delivering the team to an upset win. Senior Sydney McNeil also had a stellar day recording a double-double of 16 kills and 20 digs. Junior Katie Pogue recorded a career high 48 assists to go along with her 14 digs, two serving aces, and five kills. Freshman Natalie Percival also showed out in the match with a .444 hitting percentage for five kills, seven assisted blocks, and one solo block.
 
The Bearcats will bring that momentum into senior day Saturday afternoon as they host the Cardinals from William Jewell. The game is set to begin right around 3pm shortly after they recognize the four seniors. These will include Sydney McNeill, Janel Pido, Carlee Lill, and Julia Becker.