HAMMOND, Ind. - McKendree University's women's volleyball team concluded play here Saturday at the Midwest Region Crossover by going 1-1 on the final day of the event hosted by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and held at the Hammond Sportsplex.
The first match of the day on Saturday, the Bearcats won in four sets over Malone University (20-25, 26-24, 25-16, 30-28), before falling in four sets in its final match against Tiffin University (25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 20-25).
Against Malone, the Bearcats offense had five players record eight or more kills in the match as redshirt sophomore Avery Carr (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) recorded a career high of 12 kills, while junior outside hitter Maddie Misner (Makanda, Ill./Carbondale) added 12 kills in the win. Sophomore outside/opposite side hitter Colleen Preusser (St. Charles, Mo./Lutheran) tallied 11 kills in the match.
The other two players with eight or more kills were junior middle blocker/opposite side hitter Claire Diercks (Highland, Ill./Highland) with nine and sophomore middle blocker Lauren McCurley (Troy, Ill./Triad) added eight kills. Junior setter Macy Tongate (Towanda, Ill./Normal University) had a career high 54 assists.
Defensively, the Bearcats had a team season-high 91 digs in the match. The Bearcats had four players reach double digits in digs led by Preusser's career-high 25 digs, while senior libero Skyler Sieber (Naples, Fla./Montevallo) and Misner each had 16 digs and Tongate added 14 digs.
Meanwhile, in the match against Tiffin, a team the Bearcats defeated earlier this season at the Ferris State Invitational, had three players reach double figures in kills as Preusser led the way with 12 kills, while Carr and Misner added 11 kills apiece. Tongate recorded 40 assists in the match.
Defensively the Bearcats had three players reach double figures in digs. Sieber led the way with a McKendree career-high 21 digs., while Misner and Preusser recorded their second double-doubles of the day as Misner added 15 digs to her 11 kills and Preusser added 14 digs to her 11 kills.
Preusser, Misner, and Tongate all recorded double-doubles on the day with Preusser and Misner having double doubles in both matches.
The Bearcats return to action Friday, Oct. 22 as McKendree hosts the University of Indianapolis at Melvin Price Convocation Center at 7 p.m.
