GAME DAY LINKS --
LIVE STATS (McKENDREE vs. Ohio Dominican)
LIVE STATS (McKENDREE vs. Findlay)
LIVE STATS (McKENDREE vs. Hillsdale)

McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
OHIO DOMINICAN SEASON STATISTICS
FINDLAY SEASON STATISTICS
HILLSDALE SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 16)--The McKendree University volleyball team will head north this weekend to compete in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge, which will be held Friday and Saturday at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, Ill. This will be the seventh year of the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge, and the third time that the Bearcats will be a part of the field. 

The two-day event pits the 16 institutions from the Great Lakes Valley Conference against the 16 schools from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. There will be three match sessions each day on eight courts at the Great Lakes Center, with contests being played at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday and at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday. In all, there are a total of 48 matches contested in this tournament consisting of regional rivals. The GLVC has emerged with conference bragging rights each of the last four years at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge. The conferences each won 24 matches in the 2013 event, but the GLVC earned the title by winning 89 of the 173 sets played over the two days. 

McKendree earned the No. 7 seed for the GLVC and will play three matches this weekend. The Bearcats will have just one contest on Friday when they take on Ohio Dominican in a 2:30 p.m. match-up. McKendree will then have a busy Saturday with two matches, beginning at 10 a.m. with the University of Findlay before helping to close out the tournament with a 4 p.m. battle against Hillsdale College. The Bearcats enter the weekend with an overall record of 10-8, while they are 7-4 in GLVC play. McKendree split its two league matches last weekend at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. McKendree was defeated in four sets by the University of Southern Indiana last Friday (Oct. 11) before bouncing back on Saturday to sweep past Bellarmine University to gain the weekend split. 

The Bearcats have fared well in each of their first two GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge events. McKendree has won four of its six matches all-time in the tournament, posting a 2-1 record each time. The Bearcats have been involved with the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge since becoming a member of the GLVC prior to the 2012 season. 

Freshman outside hitter Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) continues to set the pace for the Bearcats, leading the team with 210 kills and 17 service aces. She is also second on the squad with 170 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) leads McKendree with 58 blocks (11 solos) and is second with 177 attacks. Fairman also paces the team with a .316 hitting percentage in the middle. Freshman middle hitter Maria Rasch (Kenosha, WI/Westosha Central) has put up big numbers of late and has moved into second on the team with 47 blocks (seven solos). Junior right-side hitter Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) in third on the team in both kills (139) and blocks (30). 

Freshman libero Ashly Schmitt (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) had a team-best 188 digs. There are a trio of setters for McKendree that have at least 180 assists so far in 2013. Senior Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) tops the list with 301, while she is also third on the team with 156 digs. Sophomore Breanna Howe (Mt. Pulaski, IL/Mt. Pulaski) has 251 assists, and fellow sophomore Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) is close behind with 189 sets. 

ABOUT OHIO DOMINICAN
The Panthers come into the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge with an overall record of 9-8, and have won three of their last four contests. Like McKendree, Ohio Dominican is 7-4 in conference play. The Bearcats and Panthers have already met once this year, with McKendree posting a three-set sweep back on Sept. 6 at the Dunn Hospitality Classic, which was hosted by the University of Southern Indiana. McKendree and Ohio Dominican have three common opponents this season, as the Bearcats hold a 1-2 record in those matches while the Panthers are 0-3. Both teams lost to Southern Indiana and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The difference comes in their meetings versus Cedarville University. McKendree swept past the Yellow Jackets at the Dunn Hospitality Classic, while Ohio Dominican dropped a four-set contest against Cedarville.

Senior middle hitter Caitlin Kusan leads a balanced offensive attack for Ohio Dominican with 15 kills, while sophomore middle hitter Jackie Oestreich is close behind with 145 attacks. Kusan has served up 21 aces to lead the Panthers in that category. Oestreich leads the team with 64 blocks (13 solos) and a .308 hitting percentage. Junior setter Kelsey Fortney has handed out a team-leading 349 assists, and freshman setter Ashlin Aiken is next with 253 sets. In the back row, senior defensive specialist Lauren Rindler has handled 302 digs, averaging nearly five per set. 

ABOUT FINDLAY
The Oilers bring an 11-5 record and an 8-3 GLIAC mark to Aurora this weekend. Although Findlay has lost each of its last two matches, it has won eight of 11 coming into the tournament. The Bearcats and Oilers met in last year's GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge, with Findlay prevailing in a five-set thriller. That marked the only loss for McKendree in the 2013 event.

Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Tong has put down a team-high 215 kills for the Oilers, and averaged 3.1 per set. Freshman middle blocker Nickyla Garverick is next on the team with 144 attacks while she paces Findlay with 75 blocks up front. Garverick also has a .305 hitting percentage, which tops all Findlay players. Senior setter Amanda Calhoun has handed out 579 assists through 16 matches to average nearly 10 per set. Junior defensive specialist Becca Shoemaker anchors the back row for the Oilers with 234 digs. 

ABOUT HILLSDALE
The Chargers are 7-8 on the season, while they are 6-5 in GLIAC play. Hillsdale enters the weekend having lost three straight matches and five of their last six contests. The Chargers won five consecutive matches earlier this season, all via sweep in conference play. Hillsdale joined McKendree and Ohio Dominican at the Dunn Hospitality Classic in Evansville, Ind., going 1-2 against three of the Bearcats' 2014 opponents. The Chargers were swept by both Southern Indiana and Missouri-St. Louis before outlasting Cedarville in five sets. 

Junior outside hitter Emily Wolfert has put down a team-high 134 kills this season for Hillsdale, while junior middle hitter Haylee Booms has connected for 120 attacks along with 35 kills. Wolfert has also served up 16 aces to hold the top spot for Hillsdale. Senior middle hitter Lindsay Kostrzewa has a team-leading 50 blocks up front (seven solos) while sophomore middle hitter Erin Holsinger is next with 44 blocks. Junior setter Marissa Owen has dished out 500 assists to average 9.4 per set for the Chargers. Six different players have registered at least 100 digs for Hillsdale, with freshman defensive specialist Brittany Jandasek showing the way with 196.