LIVE TOURNAMENT STATS

(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 6)--The McKendree University volleyball is getting its longest road trip out of the way early in 2013 as the Bearcats will open the new season Friday and Saturday at the Hemingway's Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. The tournament is being hosted by the University of West Florida.

McKendree will face Wheeling Jesuit University in the tournament opener on Friday at 9 a.m. before meeting Florida Tech in its final match of the day at 4:30 p.m. The Bearcats will have the same match times on Saturday (9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) when they square off against Albany State University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

In her first year as the head coach of the McKendree volleyball program, head coach Lisa Orlet led the Bearcats to a 15-16 record in 2012. McKendree was 9-9 in its first season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats were picked sixth in the East Division of the GLVC poll that was released last month. Orlet has 10 returning letterwinners back from last year's squad. McKendree will be led by a trio of seniors -- outside hitter Maureen Nesbit (Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic) (team-high 373 kills in 2012), libero Maddie Kelly (Lake Saint Louis, MO/Timberland) (team-best 617 digs) and outside/middle hitter Meghan Dohogne (Cape Girardeau, MO/Notre Dame Regional) (267 digs).

The Bearcats will play their first eight matches of the season on the road. Following their stay at the Hemingway's Invitational, McKendree will be in Warrensburg, Mo., next weekend for the University of Central Missouri Peggy Martin Challenge.