INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The McKendree University women's volleyball team opened up the 2022 season here Friday by splitting two matches on the first day of the season-opening UIndy Invitational held at ARC (Athletics-Recreation Center) Dome on the UIndy campus.

McKendree opened its 51st women's volleyball campaign with a three-set loss to Anderson (SC) University (22-25, 17-25, 15-25) and then collected an impressive three-set sweep over Findlay (25-16, 25-17, 26-24).

The Bearcats close out the two-day event at UIndy on Saturday, Aug. 27 by facing Montevallo at 9 a.m. Central and then concluding the event at 1 p.m. Central against Wayne State (Mich.).

MATCH 2 – McKendree 3, Findlay 0
In the second match of the day, the Bearcats rebounded from an .073 hitting percentage in its opening match loss to Anderson to hit .239 as a team and recorded 45 kills and had seven service aces, including three each in the final two sets, in the win over the Oilers.

McKendree's offense was paced by the play of senior outside hitter Maddie Misner (Carbondale, Ill./Carbondale) and junior outside hitter Colleen Preusser (St. Charles, Mo./Lutheran) as those two combined for 27 kills and each hit .323 in the win. Misner finished with 14 kills and added four digs and three blocks, while Preusser tallied 13 kills and added 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. Preusser also had three of her team's seven aces.

Junior outside hitter Brianna Binder (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge) was one kill shy of double digits as she finished with nine, added a match-high 15 digs and hit .238 for the match.

Setting the table for the Bearcat offense was sophomore setter Amber Williams (Aurora, Colo./Rhodes College) as she had 39 assists and five digs.

The Bearcats serving was strong against UF as they recorded just four service errors and had seven aces, while Findlay had three aces and six service errors.

Defensively, the Bearcats were outblocked, 11-5 for the match, but held a 45-44 edge in digs.

Journey Blevins, who had 14 kills, nine digs and four blocks, while Alana Pohlman added six kills, hit .545 and had five blocks in the loss to lead Findlay.

The Bearcats were dominant in the first set as they hit .419 for the set with 18 kills, including a combined 11 from Misner (6) and Preusser (5). In the set, UF led 6-1 early in the set and held an 8-6 lead when the Bearcats used a 13-6 run keyed by three kills each from Binder and Misner to take a 19-14 lead. A kill by Emma Meyer stopped the Bearcats' run, but McK would close the set on a 6-1 run, including capping the 25-16 win with a kill by Preusser.

Neither team was able to take control in the early stages of the second set as the teams combined for seven ties in the first 18 points, but the Bearcats would use a 7-3 run capped by an assisted block from Misner and senior middle blocker Claire Diercks (Highland, Ill./Highland) to take a 16-12 lead. That would eventually grow to 21-13, before UF scored four of the next seven points to pull within 24-17 following a kill by Pohlman. Jaden Smith, though, ended the game with a service error for the Oilers to cap the Bearcats' 25-17 win.

The third set was perhaps the most competitive of the match as it featured 11 ties and four lead changes. McK led 10-6 early in the set and eventually pushed its lead to 16-10, before UF responded with a 10-4 run to take a 21-20 lead. From that point, the teams traded the lead until the Bearcats used back-to-back kills from Preusser and Misner sealed the 26-24 set and match win.

MATCH 1 – ANDERSON 3, McKENDREE 0
The Bearcats opened the season with a 3-0 setback to Anderson (SC) University. In the season opener, McKendree struggled offensively in the Friday's opener as they were held to an .073 attack percentage for the match against the Trojans, who won 23 matches last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. 

Despite the setback, Williams had an impressive debut as a Bearcat as she recorded the lone double-double of the match as she finished with 24 assists and 14 digs for the Bearcats.
In addition to Williams, Preusser paced the Bearcats offense with 10 kills and eight digs, while Binder added eight kills and 13 digs and Diercks had seven kills and three blocks against the Trojans.

Anderson's win was keyed by an offense that hit .248, recorded 45 kills and a defense that outblocked the Bearcats, 12-6. 

Noelle Knutsen paced Anderson with 15 kills and hit .542, while Liliana Kinder added 12 kills, four blocks and hit .355. Jaelyn Grimm had six of Anderson's blocks, while Rylie Sargent added four blocks in the win. 

In the opening set, McK jumped out to a 5-1 lead and led 6-4 when AU used an 11-5 run capped by a kill from Hannah Neff to push out in front, 15-11. The Bearcats, though, wouldn't go away as they responded with a 9-5 run keyed by two kills each from Misner and Binder to tie the set a 20. The Trojans, though, answered right back by scoring three straight points en route to posting a 25-22 win in the set. Anderson hit .308 in the set, while McK hit .190 as the teams combined for 32 kills, including five from Misner, who finished with six in the match.

Anderson jumped to an early lead in the second set as they led 8-5 and then held a 13-6 lead when the Bearcats mounted a comeback as they used a 9-5 run capped by a Preusser kills to pull within 18-15. That would be as close as the set got, though; as AU closed out the set by scoring seven of the final nine points to cap a 25-17 win.

The third and final set belonged to Anderson as they scored the first three points of the set and jumped out to a 10-5 lead. McK would respond by scoring five of the next nine points to pull within 14-10, but the Trojans answered back by closing the set on an 11-5 run to cap its 25-15 win. AU hit .191, while McK hit .000 in the final set.