Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 14)—The McKendree men's volleyball team shook off a slow start to defeat Culver-Stockton College in four sets on Friday at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. The Bearcats won by scores of 21-25, 25-10, 25-14 and 25-22.
 
McKendree collected its first-ever home victory in its inaugural season. The Bearcats move to 2-12 on the year and will host Culver-Stockton again on Saturday with a 5 p.m. first serve.
 
Freshman middle blocker paced McKendree with 14 kills, while freshman outside hitter Mike Polizzi chipped in with nine attacks. Freshman right-side hitter Eric Abrolat (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) put down eight assisted blocks up front for the Bearcats, while freshman outside hitter Dustin Borenstein (Highland Park, IL/Highland Park) handled a team-best 11 digs.
 
Freshman setter Jack MacLean handed out a match-high 42 assists for the Bearcats, who improve to 1-2 in home matches in 2014.
 
After dropping the first set, McKendree responded with a dominant performance in set two to knot the contest. As a team, the Bearcats hit .600 as they raced to a 7-1 lead. The advantage quickly grew to 17-5 as McKendree continued to rebound from the first-set loss. Patterson had five kills in the set for McKendree.
 
The third set was up for grabs before McKendree used a strong finishing kick to take a 2-1 lead in sets over the Wildcats. The Bearcats clung to a 12-10 lead before scoring eight of the next 10 points to build a 20-12 lead. Borenstein had a pair of kills during the decisive run for the Bearcats.
 
Culver-Stockton (2-9) led for most of the fourth set before McKendree pulled even at 20-20 thanks to another kill from Borenstein. That attack sparked a 6-2 run that closed the match for the Bearcats, which ended on a service ace from Borenstein.
 
Nick Regester had 14 kills to lead Culver-Stockton, while Sam Rabidoux added 10 kills. Grant Thompson handed out 34 assists for the Wildcats.