Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4
    Over the weekend, on the 22nd and 23rd, the Hawks took a trip up north to Rockford, IL, to compete in the Opening Weekend Tournament, officially kicking off the season. The Hawks were looking to make an impression after their preseason ranking of #3. For the weekend, the team was put up against the #9 seed, Iowa Central Community College, and #20 seed, Mott Community College. Volleyball played strong and competitive ball and came home with 3 wins under their belt.

    The Hawks were set to face #9 Iowa Central CC, whom they have not faced since the 2023 season. In the past, the Tritons have come out on top in three of their last four matchups, but that was not the case for this head-to-head meet. The Hawks took the first set 25-16 with a kill percentage of .379. Collectively, the team was able to accumulate 54 kills and 88 digs to show a strong offense and defense. Graci Junis led the pack with 14 kills, Brooklyn Brennan contributed with 38 assists with four aces from the service line, and Sam Molenhouse was busy with 27 digs. The Hawks came out on top 3-2 (25-16, 19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 18-16) and showed pure grit to pull out a win.
    That same day, the Hawks turned around to face St. Clair CC, where the team swept and ended the match 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-9). Once again, Junis showed up at the net with 11 kills, and Addison Pacha followed with 10. Molenhouse collected 15 digs, and sophomore Annabelle Fortin added on 11. With the first day complete, the Hawks were ready to turn around to finish out the weekend on a positive note.

    Starting that Saturday, the Hawks were set to face Neosho County CC and dropped three sets (25-27, 17-25, 20-25). After a long and competitive set, the scores were not a reflection of the effort given in each set. The defense was working overtime with 70 digs, Junis, Fortin, and Molenhouse added to that total with 16, 14, and 13, respectively.
    Rounding out the weekend was another ranked matchup against #20 Mott CC. The Hawks took the lead and never looked back as they swept the Bears 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-11). The presence was strong at the net from sophomore Halle Moomaw as the middle collected 12 kills and 6.0 blocks throughout the match. Molenhouse stayed busy once again with 22 digs, which left her with a total of 77 digs to finish the weekend.

    Overall, the Hawks made a strong impression at the beginning of the season and hope to continue to improve as the year continues. The team has the week off before they return on Friday for a matchup against Lake Land College and Hawkeye Community College at the FRC on campus.