Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., March 23)—The McKendree University men's volleyball team played its final non-conference match of the 2015 regular season on Monday and registered a three-set sweep of visiting Fontbonne University at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. The Bearcats took the best-of-five contest by scores of 25-16, 25-23 and 25-19.
McKendree improves to 11-14 overall and will play its final five matches of the year against Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) foes. The Bearcats will have a little more than a week off before returning to action April 1 at Lindenwood University. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.
Sophomore middle blocker
Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) continued his strong play of late by putting down a team-high 12 kills against Fontbonne. Patterson also hit .611 in the match. Freshman outside hitters
Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) and
Brian Lyman (Joliet, IL/Joliet West) each connected for five attacks. Rueter also added five digs while Lyman had four. Freshman setter
Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) had a match-high 38 assists and paced the Bearcats with six digs.
In the first set, McKendree led from start to finish. The Bearcats scored three of the first four points and continued to stretch the margin throughout the set. McKendree pushed the lead to as many as nine points on two different occasions to grab the early advantage. The second set was a different story, however, as the contest featured 20 ties and seven lead changes. The teams went toe-to-toe down the stretch, with Fontbonne edging out to a 23-22 advantage. McKendree responded by scoring the final three points to rally for the two-set lead, which was punctuated by a kill from Patterson on set point.
After the teams exchanged leads in the early stages of the third set, McKendree used a burst of four consecutive points to take the lead for good at 9-6. The Bearcats' lead grew to as many as five points before the Griffins fought back and pulled within 17-16. The teams traded points before McKendree used a 6-1 run to bolt to a 24-18 lead to help seal the three-set sweep.
Aaron Graue recorded a match-high 14 kills to lead Fontbonne (5-20). Stephen Lendy contributed eight kills while Jacob Lendy handed out 24 assists in the match for the Griffins.
Monday's match marked the first-ever meeting on the volleyball court between McKendree and Fontbonne. The Bearcats are in their second season of sponsoring men's volleyball as an intercollegiate sport.
