LEBANON, ILL. – The Maryville men's volleyball team was looking for its second straight victory but host McKendree moved past the Saints in three sets 25-17. 25-23, 25-11. Makai Scott led Maryville with 10 kills and tied for the team lead with eight digs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats scored the first four points of the match and were up 7-1 to seize early control. Maryville tallied three of the next four points as a Luke Kraft's kill pulled the Saints back to within 8-4. Another spree of three points drew Maryville to 14-8 following a Scott kill. The Saints trailed 21-15 following a McKendree error but never got closer.
 
The Saints broke a 2-2 tie by scoring four straight to grab the lead. AJ Robateau started the run with a kill, and Kraft served an ace. Following another termination by Robateau, he and Scott teamed up for a block and a 6-2 edge. After a Bearcat point, Scott had a kill and two more miscues by McKendree led to a 9-3 cushion. The Saints kept the edge at 14-7 before the Bearcats chipped away with a 5-1 run. Cameron Lee and Scott had back-to-back kills for a 17-11 advantage. McKendree tacked on a 4-0 run and eventually got to within one. Scott put down a kill for a 19-17 lead but the Bearcats went ahead 20-19. The Saints tallied three straight capped by a Kevin Doran kill for a 22-20 margin. However, the Bearcats scored four straight and held on for the narrow win.
 
Maryville was down just 5-3 but the Bearcats scored five straight to extend their margin. The Saints scored to end the run but McKendree built up a double-digit advantage. Maryville wasn't able to chop the gap down to single digits as the Bearcats closed out the match.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills: Makai Scott - 10
Hitting Percentage: Kevin Doran - .333
Assists: Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 23
Service Aces: Luke Kraft - 1
Digs: Zac Clark and Makai Scott - 8
Blocks: AJ Robateau - 3
 
RECORDS
Maryville: 1-4
McKendree: 3-4
 
What's Next?
The Saints are right back in action as they make their shortest road trip of the season Saturday with a 7 p.m. match at Lindenwood.
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