ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners took on the McKendree Bearcats last night, falling 19-25, 20-25, 22-25.
Set 1:
The Miners fell behind by three at the onset, 3-6, a lead that the Bearcats would go on to extend to six at 9-15. Kills by
Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and
Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey), plus an ace from
Grant Edmonds (Shawnee, KS/Edison), propelled the Miners to a 5-1 run that cut McKendree's lead to two. The Bearcats would respond with a 4-1 run in the next five points though, going back up 20-16. A trio of kills helped the Miners to put together a 4-1 run of their own, brining the score to 19-21 near the end of the first. Attack errors by S&T would give the Bearcats the first set though, as McKendree took the last four points to win it 25-19.
Set 2:
The Bearcats took the first four points of the second set and would pull further ahead to 8-2 in the opening ten points. A 10-3 run by the Miners that included a pair of aces for Meyer and one for Rohlwing would give S&T a 12-11 lead. Neither team pulled away from the other in the ensuing points, but a three point run by the Bearcats gave them a two point lead at 17-19. The Miners took the next two points though, tying the game at 19-19. In similar fashion to the first set, S&T would commit three attacking errors in the final seven points as McKendree went on a 6-1 run to win the set 25-20.
Set 3:
For the first time all match, the Miners were the team to take an early lead, going up 7-5 before a five-to-one run by McKendree changed the score to 8-10. S&T scored two in a row to tie the game, but the Bearcats responded by winning the next two rallies to restore their two point lead. Later, down 13-16 in the set, the Miners strung three points together to tie the game at 16-16. The teams traded points through the remainder of the set but the Bearcats used a pair of two point runs to pull ahead just enough to win the set 25-22.
The team had a 11 kills and 1 error on 19 attempts in the third set, giving them a .526 hitting percentage. Sallade led the team in kills today, recording eight. Rohlwing, Meyer, and
Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) each had a pair of blocks including a solo for Rohlwing.
The Miners will play the Quincy Hawks in Gibson Arena at 2 p.m. this upcoming Saturday.
