(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 19)--After nearly a week away from the court, the McKendree University volleyball team returns to action with a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference cross-divisional road matches this weekend. The Bearcats will open the road swing Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. against the University of Illinois Springfield before heading to Quincy University for a Sunday afternoon contest at 1 p.m.
In its last match competition, McKendree posted a 2-1 record at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge last weekend in Aurora, Ill. Thanks in part to McKendree's strong effort, the GLVC captured the championship of the 32-team tournament for the third straight year. The GLVC posted a 28-20 match record against their GLIAC counterparts.
McKendree holds a 9-13 overall record, while the Bearcats are 3-6 in the GLVC East Division. The squad continues to rely on a balanced attack both up front and in the back row. Junior
Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) leads the team with 251 kills, while freshman
Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) is close behind with 236 attacks. Nesbit also paces the Bearcat squad with 25 service aces, which is one ahead of junior
Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West). With 861 assists on the year, Hanger is on pace to become just the third player in program history with 1,000 assists in a season.
Junior
Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) has handled a team-best 420 digs in the libero position, with Nebsit second at 281. Apetz leads the way in the blocking department for the Bearcats with 62.
Illinois Springfield enters the weekend with a season record of 9-12, while the Prairie Stars are just 1-8 in league play. Quincy is 4-5 in league play and 11-9 overall. This will mark the second and final week of cross-divisional play for McKendree. The Bearcats are 1-1 against teams from the GLVC West Division this year with a victory over Maryville University and a close five-set loss to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
McKendree will begin a five-match home stand next Friday night (Oct. 26) versus the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
