(LEBANON, Ill., March 11)—The McKendree University men's volleyball team topped Grand Canyon University in a five-set decision Friday evening in Phoenix, AZ. The Bearcats won by scores of 25-22, 20-25, 25-21, 22-25 and 20-18.

The win moves the Bearcats overall record to 6-7 and bumps them ahead of the Antelopes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association by one game as McKendree improves to 4-5 in league play. The Bearcats return to action in Phoenix, AZ tomorrow night for a second match Grand Canyon.

Junior opposite Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) paced the Bearcats with 22 kills and four blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) finished second on the team with 15 kills to go with nine digs and one block. Sophomore middle blocker Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) landed 11 of his 14 attempts from the field for a team high .714 attack percentage adding one dig and three blocks.

Sophomore setter Ian Zalewski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) tallied a match high 59 assists to pair with six digs. Junior middle blocker Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) put down nine kills along with a team high five blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) tabbed eight kills and eight digs. Freshman libero Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) tied Wilcox with a match high nine digs to aid McKendree defensively.

The Bearcats started hot thanks to solid attacking from Walker who put down five kills and an ace to give McKendree an early 11-7 lead in the first set. The Antelopes rallied to pull within a point, but a kill and an ace from Rueter on back to back points pushed the Bearcat lead back to three at 18-15. Grand Canyon battled back to within one point once again, but a kill from Walker and two more from Rueter put a stamp on the first set for McKendree.

After dropping set two the Bearcats were clicking again in the third after a kill from Patterson sparked a 3-0 lead to start the set. The teams exchanged kills through the middle portion of the set, as the Antelopes rallied to tie the match at seven, but a balanced attack that saw kills from four different Bearcats on a 5-3 run put McKendree up by one at 13-12. The teams continued to trade points until the Bearcats rattled off five  straight points highlighted by back to back kills from Schmidt to pull away down the stretch and take a 2-1 lead.

Grand Caynon used the home crowd to pull the match even after taking the fourth set. The Bearcats were unfazed as Patterson, Walker, and Schmidt all landed kills to give McKendree a 6-4 lead in a race to 15. The Antelopes rallied to tie the set at 6-6, but back to back kills from Wilcox sparked a 7-3 run to open thing up for the Bearcats. Grand Canyon showed heart pulling back to within striking distance at 13-12 after a pair of aces capped a three point spree. The Antelopes continued to fight as they pushed McKendree to the brink forcing match points at 17-16 and again at 18-17, but a service error opened the door for the Bearcats as they rattled off the final three points to clinch the set and the match.