Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., April 11)—The McKendree University men's volleyball team closed out the home portion of its 2015 schedule Saturday evening with a four-set loss to Ball State University in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) action. The visiting Cardinals won by scores of 22-25, 25-16, 25-23 and 25-18.
The Bearcats are now 11-17 on the season and 1-13 in their first season as MIVA members. McKendree will head north next weekend for its final two contests of the 2015 season, taking on Loyola University on Friday before ending the year a week from Saturday – April 18 – at Lewis University. Both matches are conference tilts for McKendree.
Against Ball State, freshman opposite
Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) was the lone McKendree player to reach double figures in kills. Wilcox put down a match-high 20 attacks while adding six digs. Sophomore middle blocker
Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor), sophomore right-side hitter
Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) and freshman outside hitter
Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) each connected for eight kills versus the Cardinals. Freshman setter
Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) posted team-leading totals of 43 assists and seven digs for the Bearcats.
In the first set, McKendree trailed in the early stages before scoring six of eight points to seize the lead at 17-15. Wilcox put down four kills during the stretch for the Bearcats, who never lost the lead in the opening set from that point. A kill by Walker finished off the set to give McKendree an early advantage. As a team, the Bearcats hit .464 in the first set.
Ball State (13-15, 6-10 MIVA) bounced by breaking open a close second set with a 7-3 run to build a 19-13 lead it would not relinquished. The Cardinals took their largest lead of the night on the final point of set two to send the match into the intermission all square at 1-1.
The teams went back and forth in set three, which featured 11 ties and five lead changes. McKendree led at the midway points, 13-11, when Ball State ripped off six of the next eight points to surge in front at 17-15. The Bearcats chipped away at the deficit and used consecutive kills from Rueter to knot the score at 20-20. The Cardinals responded by scoring four of the next five points to pull within a point of the set three win. A service error by Ball State was followed by an ace from Walker to bring McKendree within 24-23, but the Cardinals used a kill from Marcin Niemczewski to finish off the contest.
In the fourth set, Ball State took control early and hit .435 to complete the conference victory over McKendree. The Cardinals pulled away down the stretch, grabbing their final lead of the set at match point.
Matt Sutherland led Ball State with 12 kills, while Niemczewski and Brendan Surane each added 11 attacks. Hiago Garchet handed out a match-high 46 assists for the Cardinals.
