Box Score (FORT WAYNE, Ind., Feb. 21)—The McKendree University men's volleyball team battled ninth-ranked down to the wire Saturday night in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play, with the host Mastodons prevailing in five sets. IPFW won by scores of 25-13, 20-25, 25-16, 23-25 and 15-13.
McKendree, which trailed two sets to one in Saturday's contest, grabbed a fourth-set victory to force a deciding contest. The Bearcats then nearly overcame a four-point deficit in the fifth set before coming up just short against IPFW. McKendree is now 5-12 overall and 0-9 in MIVA play. The Bearcats will have a week off before IPFW visits the Harry M. Statham Sports Center next Saturday (Feb. 28) for another league contest. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Sophomore
Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) paced McKendree with 14 kills, while freshman
Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) helped out with 10 attacks. Walker and freshman
Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) each put down five assisted blocks in the contest. Freshman
Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) handed out a team-best 48 assists versus the Mastodons. In the back row, sophomore
Brice Miller (O'Fallon, IL/Althoff Catholic) handled a match-high 12 digs as Fiduccia helped out with 10 digs on the night.
After dropping the first set, McKendree bounced back by winning the second contest to knot the match at a set apiece. The Bearcats scored four of five points in the middle stages of the second set to grab a 15-12 advantage. McKendree then fought off a late rally from IPFW to head into the intermission tied at 1-1.
The Mastadons rolled to victory in the third set to take a 2-1 lead before McKendree responded with a hard-fought set four win. The set featured 10 ties and a pair of lead changes. IPFW led by a point midway through the set before the Bearcats ripped off four consecutive points to build a 17-14 advantage. The hosts battled back to tie the set two more times – the last coming at 23-23 -- when a kill from Wilcox and an IPFW attack error pushed McKendree to the win and forced a fifth set.
In the deciding contest, IPFW rolled to a 12-8 lead and appeared on its way to an easy win when McKendree made one final run. The Bearcats chipped away by scoring five of seven points to rally within 14-13. Following a time out, the Mastadons were able to grab the final point and seal the match victory.
Andre Sellan led IPFW (10-4, 4-2 MIVA) with a match-high 20 kills and nine digs, while Alex Harthaller chipped in with 16 attacks. Omar Rivera dished out 56 assists for the Mastadons.
