(ST. CHARLES, Mo., Jan. 26) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team closed out the Lindenwood Invitational with a 3-0 sweep over Lees-McRae. The Bearcats improve to 4-4 overall on the season.
McKendree dominated the first set 25-15 over the Bobcats with three Bearcats hitting above .600 percent and the team hitting .364 percent. The Bearcats came out on top in the second set as well 25-20. McKendree recorded 11 kills on 17 attempts with only three errors for the highest team hitting percentage of the match at .471 percent, winning the set 25-13.
Sophomore setter
Ryan Serrano (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) earned five kills on six attempts with zero errors to end the match with the highest hitting percentage on the team at .833 percent. Serrano also tallied 28 assists, two service aces, and six digs for the Bearcats. Junnior outside hitter
Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) was the lone Bearcat to record double-digit kills in the three set match, leading the offensive efforts with 10 kills and a .381 hitting percentage.
Junior middle blocker
Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine) and junior outside hitter
Ethan Carroll (Barrington, IL/Barrington) were also strong offensive forces for McKendree. Dimke recorded seven kills on 11 attempts with zero errors for a .636 hitting percentage while Carroll also collected seven kills in the match.
Carroll was not only a strong offensive person for the Bearcats but also an essential defensive player as he led the back line as the only Bearcat with double-digit digs with 11 in the match. Sophomore outside hitter
Brendon Dunn (Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame) was also an important defensive player for McKendree, tallying eight digs on the night.
As a team, the Bearcats recorded a season high eight service aces in just three sets while only allowing once service ace against themselves in the match. The last match the Bearcats recorded eight service aces was a five set match against NJIT on Jan. 17. McKendree also recorded almost double the kills as the Bobcats managed in the match, 40-21.
The Bearcats will resume competition with two home contests on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. McKendree will take on Urbana University on Friday at 7 p.m. and then face Tusculum University on Saturday, also at 7 p.m.
