WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Women's volleyball competed in their first match of the weekend at the Comfort Inn Invitational. McKendree faced off against the AVCA 9th ranked Washburn Ichabod's, dropping three straight sets. The Ichabod's came out with the 0-3 sweep in a dominating fashion with the scores of 14-25, 13-25, 8-25.
Washburn entered the match with an undefeated 8-0 record and looking to continue their perfect season, presenting the Bearcats with a daunting challenge they could not overcome. The Ichabod's controlled the match in every statistical category. Washburn noted an impressive .421 hitting percentage, collecting 51 kills over three sets. The Ichabod's defense picked up 50 digs on the match as well.
The Bearcats offense did not pose a threat throughout this contest with McKendree only recording 19 kills for the entirety of the match. McKendree ended with a hitting percentage of .032. The outside hitter duo, senior Destiny Gray and freshman Maddy Clarke, put the ball away for five kills each leading the offensive efforts for the Bearcats.
McKendree also had trouble defensively. Due to the Ichabod's overwhelming offense, the Bearcats only picked up a total of 27 digs. Gray led the way in the back court with 11 digs while senior libero Ashlyn Berczynski pitched in 7 digs to try and keep the Bearcats alive in this match. There was not a defensive presence at the net either with McKendree only noting two blocks. The Bearcats also had five service reception errors giving Washburn an even larger advantage.
The Bearcats could not find a way to answer the Ichabod's and slow down their momentum throughout this match. On both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, McKendree struggled to find consistency.
Next up for the Bearcats is a 9:30 AM match against Ouachita Baptist University at the 2nd and final day of the Comfort Inn Invitational, Sept. 20th. McKendree will follow that contest with a 5:00 PM match against the hosting University of Central Missouri.
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