(ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Feb. 4) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team opened their Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) competition at rival Lindenwood Thursday night. The Bearcats advance to 2-0 (1-0 in MIVA) after sweeping Lindenwood in three sets.

It was a game of back-and-forth between McKendree and Lindenwood in their first matchup of the season. McKendree would open the first set with a 6-0 lead, but Lindenwood would slowly make their way with one with their own sporadic point runs. The Bearcats would shut them down and take the first set 25-20. The Bearcats started the second set with another quick 9-2 run, before Lindenwood would start to chip their way back in. An ace from Ethan Carroll (Barrington, IL/Barrington) would drill in the set point for the Bearcats, and take the second set 25-17. Good court vision and sticking to clean sequences helped the Bearcats to take the third and final set of the match, 25-17.

Senior outside hitter Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) led both teams with 12 kills and two aces. He was followed by Lucas Galifos (Mokena,IL/Lincoln Way East) and Ethan Carroll (Barrington, IL/Barrington), who both recorded seven kills. Galifos and Ryan Serrano (Phoenix, AZ/Boulder Creek) each had three blocks, while Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) had two. Serrano would add one service ace and 29 assists in the match. Francisco Comas (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) led the team with nine digs, while Carroll and Ross both had five.

Nickie Sanlin and her team will be back in the Robert F. Hyland Arena on Saturday, Feb. 6 for another matchup with Lindenwood. The first serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.