FORT WAYNE, Ind. – McKendree's men's volleyball was outlasted by the Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne in a five-set battle Friday evening, with the final set scores of 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 11-15.
Set one was a back-and-forth battle from the very beginning up to the 20-point mark. Anytime either team would gain a small berth of separation, the other would respond with a string of points to close the gap, tie the score, or take the lead. With the score tied at 20-20, the Bearcats went on a four-point run, started by a kill from redshirt senior outside hitter
Sam Hoskin, to earn set point. A Mastodons' kill would end this run, but McKendree would follow with a kill by graduate outside hitter
Tyler Tripp to put the first set away in the Bearcats favor.
Purdue Fort Wayne came out to an early lead of three points in the second set as a result of a run of three points. The Bearcats would eventually tie the score at 7 with their own run of three points, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Tripp and Hoskin. From there, neither team obtained a lead larger than three-points until the Mastodons went on a three-point run at 17-19 to place them up over McKendree five points at 17-22. A kill from senior opposite
Bryce Wetjen would end this run and start a Bearcats' three-point run to bring the score within two points. After back-to-back errors by McKendree, Purdue Fort Wayne was awarded set point. The Mastodons gave the Bearcats hope by returning the favor and committing a service error, but a Purdue Fort Wayne kill ended the set, tying the match score at 1-1.
The Bearcats were able to come out to an early lead of six points with back-to-back runs of three points in the third set. The Mastodons slowly closed the gap and were able to bring the set to a two-point score at 17-15. The lead McKendree earned early in the set gave them the momentum to outlast Purdue Fort Wayne late in the set. The Mastodons made a push with a three-point run late in the set, leaving the score at 23-22. Two kills from Tripp, broken up by a Purdue Fort Wayne kill, would ultimately give the Bearcats a 2-1 advantage in the match over the Mastodons.
In a must-win set for Purdue Fort Wayne, the Mastodons earned an early four-point lead, but McKendree would respond with a three-point run to bring the score within one-point at 5-6. Purdue Fort Wayne would go on a run of four points to take a five-point lead, followed by a run of three points, broken up by a kill by Hoskin, to extend their lead to seven points, leaving the score at 7-14. The Bearcats would close the lead to four points with a three-point run of their own, but the Mastodons would take a daunting eight-point lead late in the set as a result of a four-point run. Down seven points at 14-21, McKendree would go on a four-point run, highlighted by a kill from Wetjen and back-to-back kills from Hoskin. The Bearcats would attempt a late push with another string of back-to-back kills from Hoskin, but the lead the Mastodons gained early in the set was too much for McKendree to overcome.
In the final set, Purdue Fort Wayne jumped out to an early lead of three points as a result of opening the fifth set with a run of three points. The Bearcats were able to string some points together to tie the score at 5-5 early in this decided 15-point set. The Mastodons would respond with another three-point run, re-taking their three-point lead. From there, Purdue Fort Wayne never let up. McKendree trailed the remainder of the final set, bringing the score within one-point with a kill by Hoskin, but the Mastodons persevered, ending the set and match off a Bearcat attack error.
Offensively, Hoskin led the way with a season high of 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .357. Hoskin was followed by Wetjen with 15 and Tripp with 10. Junior setter
Nate Flayter tallied 48 assists on the match.
Defensively, graduate libero
Yadiel Diaz was the anchor of the back court, picking up a season high of 14 digs. Diaz was followed by Hoskin with a season high 12 digs. This marked Hoskin's first double-double of the season. At the net, senior middle blocker
Rolen Lively had a dominating presence, recording seven blocks. Lively was followed by Tripp with a season high six.
UP NEXT: McKendree will travel to Lindenwood for a Thursday evening match at 6 PM.
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