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(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 19) – The McKendree University women's volleyball team will take on the University of Southern Indiana on Friday in the first round of the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament. The eight-team single-elimination tournament will be held in East Peoria, Ill with all seven matches taking place at the EastSide Centre.
The Bearcats and Eagles are set to face off in the second match of the day scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The winner from the McKendree-Southern Indiana match will move on to the GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament semifinals on Saturday to face either the University of Indianapolis or the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 3 p.m.
The Bearcats are 21-10 overall and went 15-3 in GLVC play earning the No. 1 seed for the East Division. This marks the second time in school history that McKendree has qualified for the GLVC tournament after landing the No. 3 seed a year ago.
The Bearcats have played well down the stretch until having their six-match winning streak snapped in the regular-season finale against their first round opponent Southern Indiana. The Eagles needed the win to secure a trip to the GLVC tournament and will now face McKendree for the third time this season.
Head coach
Nickie Sanlin has her team ready and looks to build off of the experience gained from last year's post season run.
"The team has waited one year to get back to this point to have the chance to compete for the GLVC Championship," said Sanlin. "They have had a singular focus the entire season that working their way back to the championship was the ultimate goal. I am very proud as a coach how these young ladies have competed on the court during practices and on game day. We are looking forward to our chance this Friday and having the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country."
Southern Indiana enters the 2015 GLVC Championship Tournament as the No. 4 seed from the West Division after posting a 21-10 record and a 10-8 clip in the GLVC play. The Eagles are a member of the GLVC East Division, but clinched one of the two wild card spots and were seeded in the West Division after both wildcard teams came out of the East. The top three teams from each division qualify for the tournament along with two wild card teams that can come from either side of the
GLVC based on the best overall record in GLVC matches.
The Bearcats and Eagles have squared off twice this season with McKendree taking the first match 3-0 back on Oct. 2 at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, before falling Saturday in Evansville 3-1.
The Bearcats are led by sophomore outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) who has a team high in kills (430) and digs (419) averaging 3.55 kills per set, good enough for second in the GLVC. Junior middle hitter
Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) is second in the GLVC in hitting percentage at .366, ranking second on the team with 289 kills. Fairman also has a team high in blocks with 121, averaging just over one per set. Junior outside hitter
Allison Schneider (St. Louis, MO/Lindbergh) has tabbed 238 kills for McKendree averaging 2.56 per set along with 260 digs.
Junior setter
Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) has handed out a team high 751 assists while racking up 236 digs. Freshman setter
Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) also plays a significant role for the Bearcats tallying 539 assists along with 221 digs. Sophomore outside hitter
Amanda Geiger (Tomball, TX/Concordia Lutheran) has been a key contributor for McKendree with 187 kills. Senior right side
Taylor Voss (Breese, IL/Breese Central) has put down 167 kills of her own along with 73 blocks, and sophomore libero
Ashly Schmitt (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) has helped the Bearcats from the back row averaging 3.45 digs per set.
The Eagles are paced by senior right side Erica Oberbroeckling who leads Southern Indiana with 350 kills averaging 3.07 per set. Oberbroeckling is also second on the team with 319 digs. Senior middle blocker Abbey Winter ranks second on the team with 323 kills and a team high .331 attack percentage. Winter also leads the Eagles with 139 blocks, the fourth most in the GLVC. Sophomore outside hitter Shelbi Morris rounds out the top three attackers for Southern Indiana putting down 311 kills to pair with 284 digs.
Junior Quin Shoultz handles the setting duties for the Eagles averaging over 10 assists per set totaling 764 assists on the season. Freshman setter Erika Peoples has tallied 423 assists in just 56 sets for Southern Indiana averaging 7.55 per set. Sophomore defensive specialist Shannon Farrell is tied for sixth in the GLVC at 4.88 digs per set, racking up 556 on the season.
The GLVC will be providing live video on the GLVC Sports Network along with live stats for every match at the 2015 GLVC Championship Tournament. The GVLC Tournament Central link above contains links to all live media, as well as all the information you need for this year's tournament.
