(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 13) – The McKendree University women's volleyball team clinched a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division regular season title with a 3-1 victory over Bellarmine University on Friday night in Louisville, KY. The Bearcats won by scores of 25-17, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-19.
McKendree improves to 21-9 overall and 15-2 in the GLVC. The Bearcats can win the East Division outright with a win over the University of Southern Indiana Saturday afternoon in their match set for 3 p.m.
McKendree was paced by sophomore outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day), who was one of four Bearcats reaching double digits in kills with a match high of 18. Williams notched a double-double adding 21 digs and block. Redshirt junior
Hannah Wessel (Waterloo, IL/Gibault Catholic) finished 12 of 26 from the floor for a .385 hitting percentage and tabbing nine digs. Sophomore outside hitter
Amanda Geiger (Tomball, TX/Concordia Lutheran) put down 11 kills and junior middle hitter
Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) tallied 10 of her own along with two blocks.
Junior setter
Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) had a team high 28 assists to pair with 10 digs. Freshman setter
Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) was right behind her passing out 27 helpers and 12 digs. Sophomore middle blocker
Maria Rasch (Kenosha, WI/Westosha Central) tabbed nine kills and three blocks, and sophomore libero
Ashly Schmitt (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) stuck 19 digs to help hold the Knights to a .116 team hitting percentage.
McKendree was spotted an early 8-3 lead after five Bellarmine attack errors. The Bearcats extended that lead to 13-6 after back to back kills from Williams and Fairman and another Knights' attack error. Bellarmine would cut the lead to one after a four point run making the score 16-15. McKendree rallied back taking nine of the last 11 points to clinch set one by eight.
It was more of the same in set two as the Bearcats took an early 8-2 lead with four straight kills including a pair from Rasch and one each from Williams and Geiger. After a Bellarmine kill McKendree took five of the next six points to extend the lead to nine. The Bearcats stretched the lead to 13 using five kills and a 7-1 run before the Knights responded with seven straight points to cut into the deficit. It was too little too late as McKendree kills from Williams and Rasch to close out set two.
After dropping set three McKendree once again started hot with an 11-6 lead using multiple kills from Williams, Wessel, and senior right side
Taylor Voss (Breese, IL/Breese Central). Bellarmine cut the lead to one with a four point run, but that was as close as the Knights could get as the Bearcats used a pair of kills from Geiger to reel off a 6-1 run and strolled to a six point set win to clinch the match.
