Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 24)—For the second straight day, the McKendree University men's volleyball team took one of two matches at the Park University Invitational. The Bearcats gained the split by falling in four sets to Clarke University before rebounding to defeat Morningside College in four sets on the final day of the two-day event in Parkville, Mo.
 
The split gives McKendree an overall record of 2-5. The Bearcats will open a season-long eight-match home stand on Tuesday when Missouri Baptist University comes to the Harry M. Statham Sports Center for a non-conference contest. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
Freshman opposite Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) provided the highlight of the day as he set a new McKendree men's volleyball record with 27 kills in the Bearcats' loss to Clarke. Wilcox hit .309 in the match and surpassed the previous mark of 23 attacks set by Mike Polizzi against Coker College on Jan. 31, 2014. Wilcox finished the day with 38 total kills.
 
Freshman setter Ian Zalewski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) handed out 90 total assists in the two matches on Saturday, including 54 against Clarke. Sophomore libero Brice Miller (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) was just one off his team record of 19 digs in a match, picking up a match-high 18 in Saturday's opener versus Clarke.
 
Against Clarke, McKendree dropped the first set before rallying to take a 29-27 decision in set two. The Crusaders took control by winning the final two sets and the match, winning by scores of 25-23, 27-29, 25-22 and 25-23.
 
After posting four kills in the first set against Clarke, Wilcox registered eight attacks to help McKendree win a marathon second set in the 29-27 win over the Crusaders. The Bearcats led for a majority of the second set before Clarke rallied to tie the set at 23-23. The Crusaders eventually battled their way to a pair of set points, but Wilcox provided a kill to help knot the contest each time. An attack by Wilcox put the Bearcats in front at 28-27 before sophomore right-side hitter Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) finished off the victory with a kill off a pass from Zalewski.
 
Wilcox had eight more kills in the pivotal third set as the Crusaders scratched out a three-point victory to build a 2-1 lead. He closed out his record-setting performance with seven more attacks in the fourth and final set but Clarke overcame an early deficit to surge past McKendree for the four-set win.
 
McKendree bounced back with a strong performance against Morningside. The Bearcats hit .370 as a team, including marks of .517 in the second set and .545 in the fourth to register a 25-20, 25-13, 18-25, 25-17 victory over the Mustangs.
 
In the first set, McKendree raced to a 5-1 lead and maintained its advantage to jump out in front. The Bearcats and Mustangs were tied at 8-8 before McKendree took control, finishing the set on a 17-5 roll. That included a 10-2 burst the helped McKendree stretch its lead to 22-12 in taking a 2-0 lead in the contest.
 
After Morningside responded with a seven-point win in the third set, McKendree closed out its stay in Parkville with a strong fourth set to close out the win. The Bearcats slowly pulled away from the Mustangs down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Freshman middle blocker Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) led the Bearcats with 12 kills, while Wilcox added 11. Walker contributed eight kills and a match-high six blocks as Zalewski handed out 36 assists.