(Lebanon, Ill., Jan. 7) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 9 Stanford University Saturday afternoon in Santa Barbara, CA. The Bearcats fell by scores of 25-17, 25-21, and 25-21.

The loss dips McKendree to 0-4 on the season. The Bearcats return to action Jan. 12 against No. 3 Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.

Senior opposite Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) recorded a team high eight kills for McKendree to go with four digs and one block. Junior outside hitter Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) finished second with seven kills and tied for a team high four blocks. Senior middle blockers Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) and Michael Polizzi (St. Louis, MO/DeSmet Jesuit) each hit .500 from the field with five and four kills respectively with Patterson adding four blocks while Polizzi tabbed three. Senior setter Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) handed out a team high 29 assists adding a pair of digs and a trio of blocks. Sophomore libero Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) stuck a team high five digs to aid the Bearcats defensively.

Rueter scored back to back with a kill and an ace followed by kills from Patterson and Fiduccia to give McKendree 5-3 to start the match. Stanford responded with six of the next eight point to claim a 9-7 lead and later strung together a 4-0 run that featured three straight aces to go in front 20-15 before closing out the first set with a four point run that was capped by three more aces.

Five different Bearcats put down kills as McKendree started off the second set with a 9-7 advantage. The Cardinal flipped the script with a 7-0 run to jump ahead 14-9, but McKendree rallied with a 5-2 run to pull within two at 16-14. The margin moved to three at 22-19 before back to back blocks from the Bearcats cut the lead to one and forced a Stanford timeout. The Cardinal responded after the break with the final three point to close out the second set by four.

Stanford used a 6-1 run to take an early 11-7 lead in the third set before a 5-1 run from McKendree brought the Bearcats back at 16-15. The Cardinal bounced back with three of the next four points to go ahead 19-16 before the teams traded kills moving the score to 22-19 with two of the Bearcats kills coming from sophomore outside hitter Will Frank (Moro, IL/Edwardsville). Stanford forced set point at 24-20, but McKendree landed another kill from Walker as the Bearcats attempted to rally, but it was not enough as the Cardinal closed the match with a four-point win in the third set.