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(LEBANON, Ill., April 15) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team will embark on its first post-season road trip in program history when they travel to Muncie, IN for a Saturday night showdown with Ball State University at 7:30 p.m. EST in the first round of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference tournament.

The Bearcats earned the sixth seed in the tournament after posting a 5-11 mark in MIVA play this season with an overall record of 10-13. This will be the third meeting of the season between McKendree and Ball State after the Cardinals took a pair of matches from the Bearcats during the regular season.

Head coach Nickie Sanlin is looking forward to the opportunity ahead "We are very excited that we surpassed our preseason expectations and entered the conference tournament as the 6^th seed," said Sanlin. "I think we match up well with Ball State and have played them tough throughout the season. They are one of the best ball control teams in the conference and make you work defensively to beat them."

Sanlin is proud of what her team has done this season and has high hopes for what they can show in their first post-season appearance. "I am very excited the hard work the men have put in over the last three years to get to this point is paying off," continued Sanlin. "Making the conference tournament was a goal we set since day one, but now that we have achieved it we have the full intention to fight to the finish to see what we can accomplish this coming Saturday. The men are without a doubt ready to represent McKendree in their post season debut."

The Bearcats are paced offensively by sophomore outside hitter Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) who has a team high 238 kills to go with 110 digs and 31 blocks. Fellow sophomore outside hitter Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) is second on the squad with 193 kills adding 125 digs and 38 blocks. Junior middle blocker Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) rounds out the top three attackers for McKendree totaling 189 kills while hitting at a .452 clip that ranks fourth nationally. Patterson also ranks second on the team with 79 blocks and ranks second in the MIVA with 17 solo blocks.

Sophomore setter Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) leads McKendree with 581 assists with an average of 7.75 per set. Fellow sophomore Ian Zalewski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) has also seen significant time at the setting position totaling 370 assists with an average of 9.74 per set. Fiduccia has added 89 digs and 38 blocks, while Zalewski has paired 45 digs with 14 blocks. Junior opposite Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) has put down 175 kills while leading the Bearcats with an average of 3.07 kills per set to go with 70 digs and 33 blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) has tallied 160 kills and ranks 10^th nationally with a .403 attack percentage. Schmidt also leads the team in blocks with 97 with an average of 1.18 per set that sits third in the MIVA and ninth in the nation. Schmidt is tied with Patterson for second in the league with 17 solo blocks. Freshman setter Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) leads the Bearcats in digs with 175 and ranks fifth in the MIVA with an average of 2.16 per set.

ABOUT BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

The Cardinals enter the MIVA tournament as the third seed with an overall record of 20-8 with a 12-4 showing in MIVA play. Junior outside hitter Brendan Surane leads Ball State with 253 kills with a team high 3.09 kills per set to go with 100 digs and 65 blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Mitch Weiler ranks second on the team in both kills and digs with 214 and 173 respectively adding 70 blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Matt Walsh is third in kills with 153 and ranks second in blocks with 114.

Senior setter Hiago Garchet leads Ball State in assists with 944 averaging 9.17 per set to pair with 146 digs. Junior middle blocker Alex Pia leads the Cardinals in blocks with 123 while putting down 102 kills on just 206 attempts for .359 attack percentage. Freshman libero Adam Wessel leads Ball States in digs from the back row with 195 averaging 1.22 per set that puts him third in the MIVA.