ST. LOUIS – The Maryville men's volleyball team challenged No. 11 McKendree and took a set but the Bearcats prevailed in four sets. McKendree won 27-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-14.
Luke Kraft led the Saints with 15 kills, while
Zac Clark came up with 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 20-19, the Saints scored three straight points.
Cameron Lee tied the set, and a Bearcat error put the Saints ahead.
Kevin Doran put down a kill for a 22-20 lead. McKendree tied the set before the teams traded points. Kraft gave the Saints one set point but the Bearcats saved it. A McKendree error put the Saints ahead 25-24 but the Bearcats scored three straight.
Set two saw the Saints pull to 9-7 after kills by
David Fleischer and
Ethan Beyreis-Heim. However, the Bearcats scored five of the next six points. A Doran kill pulled the Saints to 15-11 but McKendree used a 4-0 run late to grab a 2-0 lead.
The third set was close the entire way before a 3-1 run put the Saints up 16-12. McKendree closed to 19-17 but Kraft had a kill and an ace for a 21-17 advantage. The Bearcats closed back to within 23-22. The Saints closed the set on a McKendree error and a solo block by Doran ended the set 25-22.
The fourth set was tied at 9-9 before the Bearcats scored five straight points to pull ahead. McKendree had a service error and Lee put down a kill to make it 15-11. However, the Bearcats scored five of the next six points and pulled away to close out the win.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills:
Luke Kraft - 15
Hitting Percentage:
Luke Kraft - .111
Assists:
Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 20
Service Aces:
Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 2
Digs:
Zac Clark - 16
Blocks:
Kevin Doran and
David Fleischer - 3
RECORDS
Maryville: 7-7
McKendree: 11-5
What's Next?
The Saints stay at home and host Mount Saint Joseph University Friday, March 7, for a 7 p.m. contest in Moloney Arena.
