(Irvine, Calif., Sept. 2) -- The McKendree women's volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday on the Bearcats' second and final day of play at the Concordia University Labor Day Invitational in Irvine, CA. The Bearcats swept past Stanislaus State University before dropping a hard-fought four-set match to host Concordia University to close out the weekend. 

McKendree opened day two by taking on Stanislaus State. Thanks in part to a 12-kill performance from senior Arela Williams, the Bearcats notched their first victory of 2017 with a convincing sweep of the Warriors. McKendree took the match by scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-16. 

In the first set Stanislaus State held an early lead before McKendree ripped off five consecutive points to take a 9-6 lead, punctuated by a kill from Williams. The Bearcats stretched the margin to as many as five points before the Warriors battled back late in the set, trimming the deficit to 24-22. McKendree then took advantage of a Stanislaus State attack error to record the win and take a 1-0 lead in the contest. 

The Warriors controlled the tempo early in the second set before McKendree scored three straight points to pull within 12-11. Williams and senior Carissa Lorenz (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West) each had an attack during the spurt. The Bearcats then put together a 4-0 run, which was finished off by a combined block from senior Amanda Geiger (Tomball, TX/Concordia Lutheran) and sophomore Megan Marks (Colgate, WI/Germantown), to grab a 17-15 lead. Stanislaus State regained its footing and pulled out to a 23-21 lead before McKendree took control. Geiger put down a kill to get the Bearcats within a point before Lorenz and freshman Kamryn Carter (Brentwood,TN/Brentwood) teamed for a block to knot the score. McKendree then notched the final two points to complete the comeback for a two-set lead.

Once again, McKendree found itself trailing in the early portion of the third set when the Bearcats went to work. Another 4-0 burst put McKendree -- fueled by kills from Geiger, Williams and Marks -- put the Bearcats in front for good at 13-11. After the Warriors scored to get within a point, Marks dominated at the net with a solo block and two assisted blocks in a 5-0 run that stretched the McKendree lead to 18-12. 

Williams led the Bearcats on offense for the second straight game, putting down a match-high 12 kills. Geiger finished with six attacks, while Marks and Lorenz each added five. Marks stood tall at the net, earning seven blocks in the victory. Sophomore Kelly Voss (St. Rose, IL/Mater Dei) handled 14 digs while Geiger collected 10 digs. Junior Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) dished out 27 assists for McKendree. 
 
In its final match of the weekend, McKendree faced host Concordia University. The Bearcats looked to end the Eagles' undefeated run on the weekend, but the hosts eventually pulled away to earn a four-set victory over McKendree. Concordia won by scores of 25-11, 23-25, 26-24 and 25-14. 

Concordia jumped out to a fast start, hitting .300 in the first set in taking an early advantage. McKendree bounced back with an impressive effort in the second set to knot the contest. The Eagles led 7-3 before the Bearcats ran off six straight points to seize a 9-7 advantage. William and Carter each collected a kill during the burst. Concordia answered back to take a slight lead before the teams began to trade points in the later stages of the set. With things tied at 17-17, Carter put down a kill that sparked a 5-1 run that put the Bearcats ahead at 22-18. After the Eagles battled back to even the set at 23-23, a service error followed by a kill from Williams enabled McKendree to close with the win to tie things at a set apiece.

McKendree clawed its way back from a third-set deficit to take a late lead on Concordia. Back-to-back kills from Geiger polished off a 4-0 run that gave the Bearcats a 24-23 advantage. The Eagles fought off set point and scored the final three points to steal the set for a 2-1 lead on McKendree. Concordia then pulled away early in the fourth and final set by scoring seven of eight points to build a 15-8 lead and never trailed again in collecting the match victory. 

Carter led McKendree in kills with 12, while Williams kept her hot hitting going, picking up double-digit kills for the third game in a row with 11. Geiger also reached the double-digit mark in attacks with 10 for the Bearcats. Melchert collected a season-high 32 assists, while Voss matched her season-high in digs, with 16.
 
The Bearcats, now 1-3 on the season, will compete next at the Quincy University Tournament in Quincy, IL. McKendree will open against the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats on Friday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. Other opponents at the Quincy Tournament include Wayne State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and tournament host Quincy University.