(INDIANAPOLIS, IN., October 10)—The McKendree University volleyball dropped a four set decision Saturday afternoon to the University of Indianapolis. The Bearcats fell by scores of 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, and 23-25
The Bearcats loss moves their record to 12-6 overall and 7-2 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
Sophomore outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) paced the Bearcats notching her second double-double in as many days with 17 kills and 12 digs. Junior outside hitter
Allison Schneider (St. Louis, MO/Lindbergh) also tabbed a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, while junior middle hitter
Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) put down 13 and five blocks for McKendree.
Junior setter
Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) passed out 33 assists and seven digs for the Bearcats, while freshman
Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) added 21 to pair with eight digs. Senior right side
Taylor Voss (Breese, IL/Breese Central) had a solid performance adding 11 kills, and junior libero
Breanna Howe (Mt. Pulaski, IL/Mt. Pulaski) had 12 digs from the back row to aid McKendree defensively.
The Bearcats fell behind early in the first set thanks to a seven point run from the Greyhounds that put the score at 8-3. McKendree used back to back kills by sophomore middle blocker
Carissa Lorenz (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West) and Schneider to cut into the lead, but just could not make up enough ground throughout the set and fell by five points.
The second was another tough start as the Greyhounds used a five point run to take an early lead. McKendree used two different four point runs to claw back and take the lead 16-12 including two kills by Williams in the latter. The Bearcats couldn't hold the lead as Indianapolis chipped away with a trio of three point runs to overtake the lead and pull off the second set comeback.
McKendree rebounded in the third set, as the Bearcats took an early lead with three kills in their first four points, including two from Fairman. The Greyhounds tied the set at six before another Bearcat run extended their lead to three with back to back kills from Williams and Schneider. The teams traded points before Voss put down two straight kills to make the score 14-10. Indianapolis rallied and cut the lead to one point, but could not find a way to catch McKendree who closed the third set by two points.
The Bearcats looked to be in the midst of a comeback after jumping out to a 5-1 lead early in the fourth set. The Greyhounds responded with a five point run to take an 11-10 lead and force a McKendree timeout. Indianapolis rallied to take seven of the next ten points and recaptured a 19-14 lead. The Bearcats would not go down without a fight taking eight of the next 11 points with a kill each from Williams, Schneider, Fairman, and Voss, which cut the lead to one. McKendree shot themselves in the foot down the stretch as they committed three attack errors in the final four points to drop the deciding set.
The Bearcats return to action October, 16 as they travel to Aurora, IL to compete in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge, with opponents yet to be determined.
