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(LEBANON, Ill., Aug. 31)—The McKendree University volleyball team opened its 2012 season Friday at the Days Inn/Bulldog Invitational hosted by Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. The Bearcats were defeated in both contests, falling in a sweep by host Truman State to kick off the day before being edged by the University of Minnesota-Duluth in a five-set thriller.
 
McKendree made its debut early in the day against host Truman State. After the Bulldogs led from start to finish in the first set of the opening match, McKendree battled back in each of the final two sets. However, Truman State proved to be too much for the Bearcats and pulled away for a sweep in the best-of-five contest, winning by scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-20.
 
Freshman middle hitter Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) tied for match-high honors with 11 kills to lead McKendree. Apetz also posted a .429 hitting percentage in the contest. Junior outside hitter Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) connected for seven kills, while junior setter Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) recorded all 30 assists in the outing for the Bearcats. Junior libero Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) handled 11 digs while Nesbit was right behind with 10.
 
The Bearcats responded with a fast start against Minnesota-Duluth, building a 2-1 lead, and held a lead late in the fourth set. But the Bulldogs rallied to scratch out the win in the fourth set, then led throughout the fifth and deciding set to edge the Bearcats. Minnesota-Duluth took the match by scores of 25-17, 29-31, 16-25, 25-23 and 15-11.
 
Minnesota-Duluth took the first set before McKendree picked up victories in each of the next two sets. The Bearcats fought back in a close second set and took a 24-23 advantage following an attack error by the Bulldogs. Minnesota-Duluth then tied the match before the teams began to trade points. With the contest tied at 29-29, an attack error gave the Bearcats the lead before a kill by freshman outside hitter Hannah Wessel (Waterloo, IL/Gibault Catholic) wrapped up the McKendree win.
 
In the third set, McKendree ripped off 12 of 14 points to command a 22-13 lead. Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) had two kills during the stretch in helping the Bearcats pull away for the set victory. McKendree appeared to be heading for the match victory, building a 21-18 advantage in the fourth set before Minnesota-Duluth reeled off six consecutive points to grab the lead for good and forth the fifth set. The Bulldogs led throughout the final set to end the marathon contest.
 
Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) had a team-high 16 kills and added 22 digs to pace McKendree. Apetz reached double-digits once again in attacks, posting 12 kills along with nine blocks. Wessel finished with 10 attacks for the Bearcats.
 
Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) handed out 36 assists for McKendree, while Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) contributed a team-best 23 digs. Freshman outside hitter Taylor Voss (Breese, IL/Breese Central) matched Apetz with nine blocks against Minnesota-Duluth, and junior hitter Meghan Dohogne (Cape Girardeau, MO/Notre Dame Regional) chipped in with six blocks.