(LEBANON, IL., Jan 12.) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team took down the Golden Eagles of University of Charleston Saturday, 3-1. The Bearcats improve to 1-1 overall to start the 2019 season.

Extra points were needed to decide both the first and second sets but the Bearcats had a firm handle on both the third and fourth sets. UC came out on the right side of set one, 32-30. The Bearcats and Golden Eagles started the set going point-for-point until McKendree managed a five-point run to take a 12-7 lead. The Golden Eagles went on their own four-point run to take a slight lead over the Bearcats 21-20. Then, the teams fought back and forth for each point to claim set one. Freshman setter Ryan Serrano (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) and junior middle blocker Lucas Galifos (Mokena,IL/Lincoln Way East) had a key block to keep the Bearcats alive as well as two back-to-back kills for sophomore outside hitter Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) but the Golden Eagles still came out on top of set one.

Set two also contained extra points, this time the Bearcats came out on top, 30-28. McKendree overcame a small deficit late in the set when the Golden Eagles were at set point with a kill from freshman outside hitter Brendon Dunn (Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame), a key block by junior outside hitter Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) and sophomore middle blocker Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine), followed by a Schnittker kill to put McKendree up 25-24. The teams battled back and forth with the Bearcats coming out victorious by back to back kills from Galifos and Ross.

McKendree took an early lead in the third set and maintained it for the entire duration. The Bearcats longest point run put McKendree up 13-10 with a kill from Ross, Galifos, and a service ace by Schnittker. The Bearcats remained dominate throughout the set, ending the match with a kill by Ross and then back-to-back service aces by Dunn to take it, 25-16.

With momentum on their side the Bearcats took full control of the match going on the largest point run by either team, 10 points. The ten-point run included two kills from Dimke, two from Dunn, and three from Schnittker, with back-to-back blocks by Dimke and Schnittker. McKendree won the set off of a Dunn kill, defeating the Golden Eagles 25-19 in the fourth set and 3-1 in the match.

Four Bearcats had double digit kills, Schnittker with 11, Dunn with 13, Dimke with 12, and Ross with 12 to lead the McKendree offense, Dimke even recorded the highest team hitting percentage at .529. Defensively, Serrano led the pack with 11 recorded digs followed by Schnittker and senior libero Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell), each with eight digs. A strong presence at the net defensively for McKendree was Dimke, with six total blocks on the night.

McKendree will set off on a seven-game away stretch starting off with Penn State University on Jan. 25 in University Park, Pa. at 7 p.m. ET.