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(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 13)—The McKendree University volleyball team will take the weekend off from conference play as it heads to Aurora, IL for a trio of matches at the Mizuno Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Challenge this weekend in the nation's largest collegiate volleyball tournament that features 36 NCAA Division II programs participating at the Great Lakes Center.
Mizuno will once again serve as the title sponsor for the regional volleyball event, which will pit 16 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) volleyball teams against 15 institutions representing the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), and five programs from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).
The Bearcats will have just one match Friday starting at 2:30 p.m. versus the two seed from the GLIAC in the University of Findlay. The Bearcats will wrap up their Crossover weekend on Saturday with a 10 a.m. match against No. 5 seeded Grand Valley State University before a 4 p.m. showdown with Saginaw Valley State University.
McKendree is 7-5 all time at the Midwest Region Crossover Challenge and picked up the No. 2 seed in the GLVC, which is the highest seed in the five years they have participated in the event.
The Bearcats enter the weekend 13-5 overall and 8-1 in GLVC play. McKendree is in second place in the GLVC East Division standings.
The Bearcats are led offensively by junior outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) who leads the team in kills with 242 for an average of 3.67 per set to go with a team high 209 digs as well as 32 blocks. Senior right side
Allison Schneider (St. Louis, MO/Lindbergh) is second on the team with 188 kills along with 117 digs. Senior middle hitter
Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) leads the nation in attack percentage at .453 putting down 164 of her 309 attempts from the field this season. Fairman also leads McKendree in blocks with 70, averaging 1.06 per set. Junior right side
Amanda Geiger (Tomball, TX/Concordia Lutheran) is the only other Bearcat to top 100 kills this season putting down 133 along with 51 blocks.
Senior setter
Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) has dished out a team high 368 assists for McKendree adding 114 digs. Sophomore setter
Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) has handed out 344 of her own to pair with 116 digs. Junior middle blocker
Carissa Lorenz (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West) has tallied 63 kills while leading the team in blocks per set at 1.07 with 58 total. Freshman libero
Alissa Zeitelhack (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) is second on the team with 143 digs to help anchor the Bearcats defensive effort.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF FINDLAY
The Oilers hold a record of 12-5 and are 8-1 in conference play while riding a four-match win streak. Findlay is led by senior outside hitter Hannah Tong who has a team high 241 kills, averaging 4.02 per set, adding 40 blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Winner is second on the team in kills and digs with 218 and 129. Junior middle blocker Nickyla Gaverick rounds out the top three attackers for the Oilers with 144 kills. Sophomore setter Hailee Olson has distributed a team high 654 assists for an average of 10.90 per set to pair with 74 digs. Senior middle blocker Mallorie Kah has tabbed a team high 67 blocks, and sophomore libero Kara Scherger has stuck 288 digs from the back row for Findlay. The Oilers are 2-0 all-time against the Bearcats at the Crossover Challenge with their most recent matchup coming in 2014. McKendree has yet to share a common opponent with Findlay this season.
ABOUT GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
The Lakers are 10-6 overall and 5-3 in league play and are in the midst of a two-match win streak entering weekend play. Grand Valley sports a versatile offensive attack with four Lakers holding 130 kills or more, paced by freshman right side Jayci Suseland who leads the way with 198. Sophomore middle blocker Staci Brower is second on the team with 186 kills while leading the team with 67 blocks. Freshman outside hitter Kendall Yerkes and sophomore right side Brooke Smith own 136 and 130 kills respectively while Smith leads the team in digs with 225 as Yerkes comes in just behind her with 217. Junior setter Katie Olson has tallied a team high 558 assists to go with 173 digs. This weekend's contest will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs. McKendree and Grand Valley share an 0-1 record against common opponents this season as both programs fell 3-1 to Ferris State earlier this season.
ABOUT SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
The Cardinals enter the weekend winners of three straight to improve their overall record to 9-8 while sitting 5-4 in conference play. Saginaw Valley is paced by senior middle hitter Kaylee Schmitt who has put down a team high 186 kills along with a team leading 59 blocks. Junior outside hitter Tamara Heller ranks second on the squad in both kills and digs with 162 and 214. Fellow junior outside hitter McKenzie Schuster has added 153 kills while senior outside hitter Andrea Brigham rounds out the top scorers for the Cardinals with 141 kills. Senior setter Kelly Vellucci has put up a team high 670 assists to pair with 160 digs. Junior libero Emily Nieman has averaged 5.02 digs per set from the back row for Saginaw Valley. McKendree is 1-0 all-time versus the Cardinals after topping Saginaw Valley 3-1 a season ago. The Bearcats are 2-0 against common opponents this season, while the Cardinals are 1-1 in those matches.
