Box Score (AURORA, Ill., Oct. 26)—The McKendree University volleyball team swept past Walsh University Saturday afternoon in its final match of the 2013 GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge in Aurora, Ill. The Bearcats won by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 29-27.
 
Freshman outside hitter Bailey Kampwerth (Breese, IL/Mater Dei) showed the way for the McKendree offense with 11 kills. Senior outside hitter Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) helped out with eight kills along with 12 digs in the victory. Freshman setters Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) and Rebecca Nauman (Yorkville, IL/Yorkville) combined for 31 assists, with Dickmann handing out a team-leading 16 sets. Senior libero Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) anchored the back row with 17 digs for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree, which won two of its three matches at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge, is now 8-16 overall. The Bearcats will step back into Great Lakes Valley Conference play next Saturday (Nov. 2) when they play host to Drury University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
 
The GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge is a two-day event that features 48 matches played between the schools of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The 2013 tournament marked the sixth year of the event. Each conference won 24 matches at the Crossover Challenge, but the GLVC – which won the three previous Challenges – retained the trophy by winning 89 sets during the weekend compared to 84 for GLIAC schools.
 
In the first set, McKendree dominated from the outset. The Bearcats rolled to a 6-1 lead to open the contest and quickly increased the margin to 13-4. McKendree then scored six of the next eight points to build a 19-6 advantage on its way to the opening-set win.
 
Walsh (4-17) responded by grabbing a 7-3 lead to start set two. A kill by Kampwerth sparked a 9-1 run that enabled the Bearcats to regain the lead at 12-8. The Cavaliers fought back and knotted the set twice more, with the last time coming at 15-15. From there, McKendree took control, scoring 10 of the final 11 points to register the victory.
 
The teams battled back and forth throughout the third set. The set was tied 11 times as Walsh tried to force a fourth set. With the teams tied at 27-27, sophomore middle hitter Rachel Nelson (Papillion, NE/Papillion-LaVista South) put down a kill to give McKendree a one-point lead. Nelson and Dickmann then sealed the sweep for the Bearcats by combining for a block on a Walsh kill attempt.