LEBANON, Ill. -- McKendree women's volleyball drops a three-set match against Truman State University on Saturday, hosted at the Melvin Price Convocation Center. Freshman outside hitter Reece Distler shined with a .375 with 10 kills and only one error.
SET ONE:
After earning the first point of the match, Truman State sided out with a three-point serving run until they faced a serving error. The first kill by McKendree was given to Distler, where the Bearcats only trailed by one at 4-3. With some offensive pressure by Truman State, the team separated from the steady start, earning the race to 10 points. Outside hitter Delaney Nelson put a stop to the Bulldogs run with an attack off of the hands of the block. With a larger point gap to fill, the Bearcats began to chip away once the Bulldogs reached the red zone, breaking down their serve receive and Nelson earning back-to-back kills to make the score 22-14. Truman State grabbed a point, just before right side Lexi Hoffman put the ball away for the Bearcats at 23-15. The Bulldogs then went on to finish the set out with a kill and a block consecutively.
SET TWO:
With 14 kills off of 49 attempts, the Bearcats had their most efficient offensive performance and kept the momentum for the majority of set two. McKendree's first earned points were all kills by Distler, middle Avery Guisinger, setter Peyton Uptgraft, outside Brooke Heimburger, and two from right side Madelyn Clarke, spreading the offense. With a 7-5 lead, the Bearcats would then string together back-to-back points and defensively pushed through the Bulldogs service pressure, only allowing one to two points for every server. The first ever three-point run was given to Truman State, where McKendree, still with the lead, returned the same run with middle Megan Bishton behind the service line making the score 17-14. Truman State closed the gap, and the score was split with both teams at 20. With two back-to-back kills from the Bulldogs, the Bearcats fell behind, and Truman State closed the set 25-22.
SET THREE:
The same back and forth rhythm was brought to the third set, with the Bearcats only trailing 9-7. Truman State capitalized with a long serving run, putting McKendree at a point deficit at 18-7. The response was major for the Bearcats, stringing kills from Distler, outside hitter and Paige Parant. At 22-14, McKendree powered back with a four-point run that featured two major blocks to stop the Truman State offense, making the score 22-18. Truman State ended the set after earning a kill and grabbing two points from an aggressive McKendree offensive push at 25-18.
Libero Bianca Galavis and Uptgraft earned 10 digs for McKendree, and Bishton and Distler also earned 2 aces each. Nelson ended with a .429 attack percentage in her second appearance as an outside hitter. Middle blocker Ilana Reed posted four block assists, while Heimburger provided one solo block. The team earned 6 blocks in total, matching Truman State.
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