(LEBANON, Ill., April 15) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team fell 3-1 to No. 14 Grand Canyon University in the first round of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament Saturday night in Phoenix, AZ. The Bearcats fell by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, and 25-19.

McKendree entered the match as the No. 6 seed in the MIVA Tournament and were looking to upset a ranked opponent in the quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season after the Bearcats dropped No. 11 Ball State in the first round a season ago. The Antelopes earned the No. 3 in the tournament after with a record of 18-10 overall and 11-5 in the league.

Senior opposite Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) was the only Bearcat to reach double figures with 11 kills to go with six digs and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) tallied nine kills to pair with five digs, while junior middle blocker Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) also put down nine of his 13 swings, adding a team high give blocks. Senior middle blocker Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) hit .750 going 7-8 from the field with three blocks and a pair of digs. Junior setter Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) handed out 42 assists to go with four blocks and three kills. Junior outside hitter Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) chipped in five kills and three digs, while sophomore libero Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) stuck five digs.

Patterson, Rueter, Walker, and Wilcox all put down kills to open set one, but the Bearcats found themselves trailing 10-8. Rueter recorded two more kills as the set shifted to 15-13 before back to back kills from Walker and Patterson, but the Antelopes maintained a two point advantage at 17-15. Grand Canyon followed with four straight points on two kills and two aces before Patterson countered with two straight kills to spark a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to 21-18. The Antelopes forced set points at 24-20 as a kill from Schmidt and a block from Patterson and Walker were not enough to rally back with Grand Canyon earning set one by three points.

Wilcox notched a kill and an ace to help McKendree bolt ahead 6-3 in the second. A 3-0 from the Antelopes tied the set at eight, but another kill from Wilcox and a block from Fiduccia put the Bearcats back in front 11-9. The teams exchanged 3-0 spurts as the set shifted to 14-12 in favor of McKendree before a kill and a block from Schmidt extended the margin to three at 17-14. Walker tacked on a pair of kills to move the lead to 21-18, but Grand Canyon used a 3-1 run to trim the lead to one at 22-21. Sophomore outside hitter Will Frank (Moro, IL/Edwardsville) connected on an attack followed by a kill from Walker to force set point at 24-21 and the Bearcats were able to hold on to even the match at 1-1.

A kill from Patterson and a block from Schmidt helped open set three with a 3-1 lead for McKendree. Grand Canyon bounced back with a pair of 3-0 runs to take a 7-4 lead before adding on a third to go up 10-6. Walker and Schmidt tallied two kills each as the set rolled to 16-13 in favor of the Antelopes. A 3-1 burst moved Grand Canyon ahead 19-14, but Rueter followed with a kill before a block from Fiduccia to start a 4-1 run that slashed the lead to two at 20-18. The Antelopes kept the Bearcats at an arm's length, using a 3-0 run to go in front 23-18 and withstood a 3-1 reply from McKendree to hold on in set three.

Grand Canyon took seven of the first nine points to start the fourth before a 3-0 run capped off on back to back aces from Walker brought the Bearcats back within two. Fiduccia contributed a pair of kills on a 4-2 run, but the Antelopes replied with three straight to go on top 14-9. Rueter and Schmidt put down kills to work McKendree back in the set at 20-17, but Grand Canyon would rally with a 5-1 spree to close out set four and earn the win.