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(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 5)--Even before taking the court for their final home game of the 2014 regular-season Wednesday against the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the McKendree University volleyball team knows it will be playing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference post-season for the first time.
The Bearcats punched their ticket to the 2014 GLVC Tournament on Sunday thanks in part to its three-set sweep of William Jewell College. McKendree improved to 16-11 overall and, more importantly, 10-6 in GLVC play. The Bearcats are one of seven league schools with at least 10 victories, with only one other institution holding as many as eight conference wins. With just two GLVC games left on the slate, McKendree fans can make plans to attend the GLVC Tournament, which will be held Nov. 13-15 at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill.
First, the Bearcats will play their final non-conference contest of the year by hosting UMSL. This will be the second time the two schools will face off on the year, with the first one coming in GLVC play back on Sept. 14 in St. Louis. The host Tritons notched a three-set sweep of the Bearcats in that meeting. Missouri-St. Louis comes into Wednesday's contest at 15-9 overall and, like McKendree, 10-6 in the GLVC.
Wednesday will mark the final home game for two McKendree seniors --
Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) and
Kelsey Johnson (Aviston, IL/Breese Central). Hanger is a three-year member of the Bearcats' volleyball program, which includes a redshirt season in 2013. Hanger is one of a handful of players in program history to record at least 1,500 assists in a career. She had 1,244 assists as a junior in 2012, which is the third-highest season total in McKendree history.
Johnson has spent the last two seasons in the McKendree program. She has come on strong in the second half of her senior season, posting career highs in kills (107), digs (174) and service aces (21). Johnson ranks among GLVC leaders in aces per set. Both Hanger and Johnson will be honored in a special pre-match ceremony on Wednesday.
The Bearcats will be on the road for their final two games of the regular season. On Friday, McKendree will be in Kenosha, Wis., for a GLVC battle against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The Bearcats will then close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Lewis University.
Pairings and information pertinent to the 2014 GLVC Volleyball Tournament will be released late Saturday evening/early Sunday morning by the conference office.
