The Lindenwood men's volleyball team (3-5, 0-2 MIVA) dropped a hard fought five-set match to McKendree (5-5, 2-1 MIVA) on Wednesday night in Hyland Arena

MATCH OVERVIEW
McKendree jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead in the first set and held a comfortable advantage throughout. The Bearcats took the first stanza 25-21.

The second set was a back-and forth one as neither team would go up by two until late in the frame. The two teams were tied at 10, 15, and 20 apiece. Lindenwood grabbed a 22-20 lead after a Brendan Louthain kill, which forced a McKendree timeout. The Bearcats responded with the next three points to grab a one-point advantage and Lindenwood took a timeout. Both teams continued to trade points, until the Bearcats won the set 27-25 and went up 2-0 in the match.

Lindenwood kept battling, however and hit .654 in the third stanza, which allowed them to get back in the match. Lindenwood found some separation after a Louthain kill to put the Lions ahead 19-16. McKendree got within one, but the Lions hung onto the set, 25-22, but were still down 2-1. Through three sets, Carter Stenmark had 17 kills.

The momentum continued for the Lions into the fourth set as they held McKendree to a negative hitting percentage in the frame. On the flip side, the Black and Gold hit .440. Lindenwood won the set 25-13. Jacob Christopher provided a spark in the match after not playing the first two sets and had a strong performance on the outside. The match headed to a fifth set.

In the fifth set, McKendree got out to a 7-3 lead and Lindenwood took a timeout. The Lions responded with a 3-0 run, capped off by a Louthain kill. The frame would be back-and-forth from there. The Bearcats went up 13-10, but Lindenwood responded once again as Zach Solomon knotted things up at 13 apiece after a kill. The Lions held off a match point, but McKendree took the set, 16-14.

GAME LEADERS
Carter Stenmark (23 kills, .436 hit %, five digs)
Brendan Louthain (16 kills, .424 hit %, five digs)
Zach Solomon (47 assists, 13 digs, six kills)

UP NEXT
The Lions travel to Columbus, Ohio for a matchup with No. 15 Ohio State on Saturday. First serve is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.