(LEBANON, Ill., April 6) – The McKendree University men's volleyball won in a five-set thriller against Purdue Fort Wayne on Senior Day this Saturday becoming the first team in program history to earn 12 wins in a season as they are now 12-12 overall and 7-7 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) competition.

The Bearcats came out strong to open up competition with a 25-21 victory in set one. A few minor setbacks occurred in the second set and despite a late rally from McKendree, Purdue Fort Wayne collected the 25-22 win in set two. Momentum carried over into the third set for the Mastodons as they won the third set as well, 25-19. McKendree wasn't done as they battled hard in the fourth set to be victorious, 26-24. A strong team effort in the fifth set propelled the Bearcats to victory as they won the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.

The Backbone of the Bearcat squad was their defensive skills at the net. Mckendree collected a total of 15 blocks with junior middle blocker Lucas Galifos (Mokena,IL/Lincoln Way East) earning the most out of any Bearcat this season. The junior recorded one solo block and nine block assists being in a total of 10 of McKendree's 15 blocks. Senior outside hitter Will Frank (Moro, IL/Edwardsville) also played a key defensive role at the net in tonight's victory tallying a personal best six block assists.

Frank wasn't the only senior to shine in today's senior day match as libero Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) led the back line in digs with 10 total recorded. Freshman setter Ryan Serrano (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) and Frank were next, each tallying seven digs for McKendree.

Sophomore middle blocker Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine) and junior opposite Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) powered the Bearcat's offense. Dimke recorded 13 kill on 20 attempts to earn a .550 hitting percentage in the five set match while Schnittker was close behind with 12 tallied kills in the match. Dimke also recorded a personal best of six digs in today's match.

With this win, McKendree sits in fourth place in the MIVA and will host the first round of MIVA quarterfinals against Ball State University on Saturday April 13. The time of the match will be announced at a later date by the MIVA.