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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
MISSOURI S & T SEASON STATISTICS
DRURY SEASON STATISTICS
(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 24)--The McKendree University volleyball team will hit the road this weekend for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference matches. The Bearcats will open the weekend on Saturday at 5 p.m. with a visit to Rolla, Mo., to take on Missouri S & T. McKendree will then close out the trip -- along with a six-match road swing -- by heading to Springfield, Mo., for a 1 p.m. match-up versus Drury University.
McKendree is 3-1 on the current road trip, with two of the victories coming last weekend at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge. The Bearcats went 2-1 at the Crossover for the third consecutive years as they helped the GLVC to a 37-11 overall record in matches against teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It marked the fifth consecutive year that the GLVC has won the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge. In addition to their two wins at the Crossover, the Bearcats were victorious on Sunday against Kentucky Wesleyan College in a match played in Springfield, Ill.
By winning four of their last five matches, McKendree sits at 13-9 overall and has a 7-4 record in GLVC play. The Bearcats are currently third in the GLVC East Division standings. The 13 wins matches last year's win total for McKendree, which was 13-18 a year ago and missed the GLVC Tournament by a game.
On Saturday, McKendree will be facing a Missouri S & T squad that, like the Bearcats, is also 7-4 in the GLVC standings. The Miners are 12-10 overall, but one of those victories came against McKendree last month at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon. Missouri S & T swept McKendree in a non-conference contest by scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17 back on Sept. 23. Freshman outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) had 11 kills and nine digs to pace the Bearcats, while Alison Mueller put down a match-high 12 kills to show the way for the Miners. Junior middle hitter Krista Haslag leads Missouri S & T on the season with 218 kills and 83 blocks, while junior middle hitter Gracey Moon is next with 191 attacks. Sophomore setter Allie Plunk has handed out 79 assists this season, and junior defensive specialist Jackie Pyles has handled a team-best 344 digs in the back row for the Miners.
Drury brings a 12-8 overall record and a 3-8 GLVC mark into this weekend's play. The Panthers will host the University of Illinois Springfield on Saturday before McKendree comes to town for its Sunday afternoon tilt. Drury is a four-match win streak, which includes three victories at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge last weekend. Junior outside hitter B.J. Specht leads a balanced offensive attack for the Panthers with 178 kills, while junior middle blocker Laynie Timmons is close behind with 161 attacks. Timmons also paces the team with 72 blocks (9 solos). Sophomore setter Brooke Antenen leads the team with 742 assists, and has served up 25 aces for Drury. Sophomore defensive specialist Bridget Justis has collected a team-high 323 digs for the Panthers.
McKendree outlasted Drury in five sets during the 2013 meeting between the two programs. The teams exchanged set victories throughout the contest held on Nov. 2, 2013 in Lebanon, and the Bearcats took control in the fifth set for a 15-8 win to capture the match.
Following the two-match weekend road trip, McKendree will open up its final home stand of the 2014 regular season on Tuesday against Illinois Springfield. That will mark the first of four straight matches at the Statham Center for the Bearcats.
