(MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 13) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team had its four game win streak snapped on Thursday night with a 3-1 loss at Ball State. The Bearcats are now 7-5 overall on the season and 1-1 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).

McKendree took the first set 25-23 over the Cardinals to begin the match. Ball State went on to win three straight sets to collect the 3-1 victory with a 25-20 win in set two and a 25-21 win in set three. McKendree forced extra points in the fourth set but weren't able to come out on top, falling 26-24 in the fourth set.

Junior outside hitter's Ethan Carroll (Barrington, IL/Barrington) and Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) led the offensive efforts for the Bearcats, each with 14 kills in the match. Senior middle blocker Lucas Galifos (Mokena,IL/Lincoln Way East) and junior middle blocker Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine) were also impactful players for McKendree, Galifos recording eight kills with a .538 hitting percentage while Dimke earned 11 kills for a .450 hitting percentage.

Defensive efforts were led by sophomore libero Francisco Comas (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley High School) who recorded a new season best 19 digs in the four sets, the only Bearcat to tally double-digit digs. Senior opposite Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) was also an essential defensive player for McKendree with nine digs on the night. Galifos led the defensive efforts at the net with one solo block and five block assists.

As a team, the Bearcats recorded more blocks in the match than the Cardinals. Offensive efforts were extremely close amongst the two teams, the Bearcats recording 54 kills and a .261 team hitting percentage and Ball State collecting 55 kills and a .262 hitting percentage.

McKendree will close out its MIVA weekend competition with a match at Ohio State on Saturday, February 15. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.