By MARC NESSELER

Special for the Herald Whig

MOLINE, Ill. — Moline volleyball coach Tim Albrecht shrugged and realized after Quincy's 25-21, 25-21 victory over the Maroons in a Class 4A regional championship at Wharton Field House that the Blue Devils simply had their number.

That number was 3.

Three as in the number of wins over the Maroons in a span of two weeks that not only gave Quincy regional hardware but also determined the Western Big Six Conference title.

And 3 as in the number worn by Quincy setter Hannah Kvitle.

Between a couple of WB6 powers in 34-3 Quincy and 31-4 Moline, Albrecht saw Kvitle as the difference-maker.

"Quincy does a lot of things very well, from passing to setting to blocking to attacking," said Albrecht. "But Kvitle is such a special player. She sets every ball perfectly. She's a solid blocker and covers 15 to 18 feet on defense.

"She just has another gear. And when they need it, she goes into that gear."

That was apparent in the second game. Inspired after a first-game comeback that fell short, Moline was within two at 10-8 when Kvitle took over. She had a kill and set up two others by Taylor Holtmeyer. By the time Kvitle perfectly placed an ace serve, it was 18-9 and the Blue Devils could sense their sectional berth.

"We just played our game and were having fun," said Quincy coach Barb Crist. "They have a lot of confidence in each other and work very well together."

Kvitle said that while it was unfortunate for two 30-win teams to meet for a regional title, it meant well for the victor.

"Both teams are very good. Moline could be better than any of the sectional teams," the Blue Devil standout said.

That's the approach Albrecht took going into the hard-luck matchup.

"Unfortunately in the four-class system, these kinds of things happen," he said. "But we knew that whomever came out of this would be battle-tested for the sectional and hopefully beyond."

Quincy's previous victories over Moline could have played a role. Instead of worrying about having to beat a team three times in one season, the Devils banked on their experience and knowledge of the hosts.

"Hannah does a great job of running the offense, and Maddy (Barnes) and Taylor (Holtmeyer) have the size there to block," Crist said. "We knew we had to work on our left-side block."

That's because Moline's Sam Fournier was a force at the net in game one. Quincy's biggest lead was 21-14, but Moline battled back to pull within three on the strength of Fournier's kills.

"That's when Angela Shupe came off the bench, stepped up and pulled it out for us," Kvitle said. "She put the block where it was supposed to be."

Shupe had two kills, a block and a dig for the Devils.

Holtmeyer led Quincy in kills with eight, and Kaitlyn Hankins had three blocks. Kvitle chalked up 11 assists and libero Abbie Foster had 10 digs.

QHS will face Normal Community (25-11) in a sectional semifinal game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Normal West.

— sports@whig.com/221-3365