Box Score (QUINCY, Ill., Oct. 21)—Junior outside hitter Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) registered a match-high 17 kills to lead the McKendree University volleyball team to a three-set sweep at Quincy University on Sunday. The Bearcats took the best-of-five match by scores of 25-19, 31-29 and 28-26.
 
McKendree boosts its overall record to 11-13 on the year, while the Bearcats are now 5-6 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action. McKendree will open a five-match home stand on Friday by hosting the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. First serve is set for 7 p.m. The match with Wisconsin-Parkside will be the team's annual “Dig Pink” match, where fans will be asked to help the Bearcats in the fight against breast cancer.
 
Freshman middle hitter Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) and freshman outside hitter Hannah Wessel (Waterloo, IL/Gibault Catholic) each chipped in with eight kills in the Quincy victory, while junior setter Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) posted 38 assists. Freshman right-side hitter Rachel Nelson (Papillion, NE/Papillion-LaVista South) led McKendree with seven blocks, including three solos. Junior libero Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) helped out with a match-high 24 digs as Nesbit added 16 digs.
 
In the first set, McKendree led for the majority of the contest. Quincy (11-11, 4-7 GLVC) tied the set at 12-12 before a kill by freshman hitter Taylor Voss (Breese, IL/Breese Central) sparked a 5-0 run that put the Bearcats in front to stay. The second set featured 12 ties. McKendree rallied from a 20-15 deficit with a 7-2 run to knot the set at 22-22. From that point, the teams traded points until a kill by Nesbit gave the Bearcats a 30-29 advantage. An attack error by the Hawks finished off the marathon set.
 
Quincy appeared to take control in the third set, building a 21-12 lead before yet one more McKendree rally. Nesbit registered two kills during a 9-1 spurt that brought the Bearcats within 22-21. The Hawks won the next two points to serve for the set, but McKendree rallied by scoring the next four points to take its first lead of the set at 25-24. Quincy responded with the next two points to regain a 26-25 advantage.
 
But the Bearcats put together yet another rally, using an attack error from Quincy followed by kills from Nesbit and Apetz to finish off the sweep.
 
Carly Schmitt led Quincy with 13 kills, while Samantha Haegele posted 11 kills and 16 digs for the Hawks.