St. Louis – The Maryville volleyball team defeated McKendree for the first time since 2011 as they swept the Bearcats 25-16, 25-18, 25-21. Taylor Keck hammered down 12 kills, while Ella Kosky added eight kills and hit .333. Karolina Rodowski finished with eight kills and a .300 hitting percentage, and Mikaela Kues finished with eight kills, too.
 
What Happened
The Saints trailed 10-5 in set one but rallied with seven straight points. Kosky had a kill to both start and end the run as the Saints surged ahead 12-10. McKendree scored a point on a service error but the Saints picked right back up and reeled off another 7-0 burst. Kosky keyed the run as she had four kills over that stretch for a 19-11 lead.
 
In set two, the score was tied at 15-15 before the Saints took control by scoring nine unanswered points. Karolina Rodowski pounded down a kill to ignite the run, and her kill built the lead up to 24-15. The Bearcats made a late push but Abbie Schnell's solo block ended the set at 25-18.
 
McKendree held a small edge for the early part of set three until the Saints tied the score. It was still deadlocked at 11-all before a kill by Taylor Keck and a kill by Rodowski pushed Maryville ahead 13-11. The Saints went up 18-14 but McKendree came back for an 18-18 tie. Still deadlocked at 21-all, the Saints closed the match out with a 4-0 run. Keck had a kill, and after two McKendree errors, Rodowski's kill ended the match. The Saints hit .232 in the match while holding the Bearcats to just a .094 mark.
 
Statistical Leaders
Kills: Taylor Keck - 12
Hitting Percentage: Ella Kosky - .333
Assists: Abbie Schnell - 39
Service Aces: Taylor Keck - 3
Digs: A.J. Hallemann - 22
Blocks: Four players - 2
 
Inside the Numbers
The last time Maryville defeated McKendree was Sept. 7, 2011.
The Saints picked up their 12th victory of the year and their third GLVC win, the first time since the 2015 season they have reached those milestones.
Four Saints had a hitting percentage of at least .300 and four finished with at least eight kills.
A.J. Hallemann had at least 20 digs for the second straight match.
 
Records
Maryville: 12-15, 3-11 GLVC
McKendree: 8-16, 4-9 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints host Indianapolis for Senior Day Saturday, Nov. 6, in a 3 p.m. first serve. Maryville will honor its four seniors prior to the match.