Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 8)—McKendree University and Quincy University went toe-to-toe in a four-set match on Sunday at the Harry M. Statham Center, with the visiting Hawks prevailing in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) play. Quincy won by scores of 22-25, 25-22, 29-27 and 30-28.
 
McKendree slips to 3-8 overall and 0-5 in the MIVA. The Bearcats will continue their eight-match home stand on Tuesday when they step out of conference to host Culver-Stockton College. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
Freshman Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) paced McKendree with 14 kills, while sophomore Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) also reached double figures with 12 attacks. Patterson also hit .429 against the Hawks. Freshman Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) contributed six kills, six digs and four assisted blocks in the contest. Freshman Ian Zalewski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) posted a match-high 39 assists along with eight digs for the Bearcats. Freshman Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) led the way up front with five blocks.
 
Sunday's match featured a total of 52 ties and 23 leads changes over the four sets. McKendree trailed for a majority of the first set before using a run of four consecutive points to tie things at 18-18. The teams continued to trade points before Rueter and Patterson combined for a block to push the Bearcats out in front at 22-21. That sparked a 4-1 run to end the first set and give McKendree an early advantage.
 
The teams traded roles in the second set as McKendree controlled the tempo in the early stages. Quincy chipped away at the deficit and trailed 22-21 before rallying to win the final four points to grab the set and even the match at a set apiece.
 
There were 16 ties and nine lead changes in the pivotal third set as the squads needed extra time to decide a winner. McKendree had two set points down the stretch, while Quincy served for the set three different times. The Hawks again used a late rally, scoring the final three points to win the set and take a 2-1 lead in the set. The play was just as close in the fourth set which featured 18 ties and seven lead changes. The largest cushion for either team came when McKendree took advantage of a Quincy ball handling error to stretch its margin to 19-16.
 
Again, Quincy fought back to tie the match as the teams began to exchange points and leads. Once again, the teams played past the 25-point mark. McKendree dodged three match points from the Hawks, but an attack error on the fourth set point sealed the MIVA victory for the Hawks.
 
Jack Gamache had a team-high 14 kills for Quincy (6-5, 1-3 MIVA), while Ian Lawson added 12 attacks and eight digs. Thane Fanfulik handed out 37 assists and registered a team-best five blocks for the Hawks. The teams will meet once more time this season on April 3 in Quincy, Ill.