(LEBANON, Ill., April 5) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team will close out the 2016 regular season this week with a chance to earn its first ever bid to a post season tournament. The Bearcats take on Lindenwood University Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Harry M. Statham Sports Center with a chance to clinch a berth in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament. McKendree will then close out the regular season Friday night versus Quincy University at 7 p.m.
The Bearcats are 9-12 overall and 4-10 in MIVA play this season. McKendree currently sits in a tie for sixth place in conference play with Quincy as the top eight teams qualify for the MIVA tournament. The Bearcats can clinch a spot in the MIVA tournament with a win over either team this week or a loss from Lindenwood.
Sophomore outside hitter
Jared Wilcox (Warrenville, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) leads the way offensively for the Bearcats with 224 kills to go with 101 digs and 36 blocks. Fellow sophomore outside hitter
Nolan Rueter (Burlington, WI/Burlington) is second on the team in both kills and digs with 179 and 112 respectively. Junior middle blocker
Wyatt Patterson (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) comes in ranked third in kills with 174 and second in blocks with 68. Patterson also leads the team in attack percentage hitting at .436, which ranks third in the MIVA and fourth nationally among qualified players.
Sophomore setters
Pasquale Fiduccia (Hanover Park, IL/Glenbard North) and
Ian Zalewski (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg) have each seen significant time as Fiduccia leads the Bearcats with 521 assists to go with 83 digs and 34 blocks. Zalewski has tallied 370 assists and ranks third in the MIVA with an average of 9.74 per set. Sophomore middle blocker
Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) has contributed 149 kills while also leading the Bearcats with 91 blocks. Schmidt ranks second in the MIVA in blocks per set at 1.21 and eighth nationally. Schmidt also ranks tenth in the nation in attack percentage hitting at a .404 clip. Junior opposites
Maalik Walker (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) and
Andrew Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove) have shared the right side with Walker leading McKendree with an average of 3.17 kills per set after landing 165 kills. Schnittker is third on the squad with an average of 2.48 kills per set totaling 77 kills in just 31 sets this season. Freshman libero
Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell) has a team high 170 digs to rank third in the MIVA at a rate of 2.24 per set.
ABOUT LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITYThe Lions enter the week in the midst of a six game losing streak that has brought their overall record to 4-16, which includes a 2-12 mark in MIVA play. Lindenwood is paced by junior outside hitter Jake Duckworth who has a team high 197 kills. Duckworth is also second on the team in digs with 88. Junior opposite Ryan Moore is second on the team with 192 kills to pair with 48 digs. Freshman middle blocker Connor Hipelius and sophomore outside hitter Michael Chard are tied for third on the team with 109 kills. Hipelius also leads the Lions in blocks with 45, while Chard sits in fifth in the MIVA in service aces per set with an average of .38 per set.
Freshman setter Adam Brewster leads Lindenwood in assists with 313 averaging 7.45 per set to go with 46 digs. Senior setter Roman Seghezzi has also seen court time with an average of 7.26 assists per set totaling 283 assists. Sophomore libero Ryan Vorderer leads the Lions from the back row with 147 digs. Lindenwood is 2-13 against common opponents of McKendree this season while the Bearcats are 3-11 in those matches. McKendree topped the Lions 3-2 in the first matchup of the season back on Feb. 17 which marked the first victory over the Lindenwood in program history moving the Bearcats all-time record against the Lions to 1-3.
ABOUT QUINCY UNIVERSITYThe Hawks hold an overall record of 18-20 and sit in a stalemate with McKendree with an identical 4-10 record in MIVA play. Quincy split a pair of MIVA matches a week ago after dropping a 3-0 decision Friday to Ball State before coming out ahead in five-sets over Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. The Hawks are led by junior middle blocker Jarrod Kelso who ranks fourth in the MIVA in total kills with 304 while leading Quincy in blocks with 131. Senior outside hitter Ian Lawson ranks second on the team with 269 kills to go with 113 digs and 32 blocks. Senior opposite Chris Chappelle rounds out the top three attackers for the Hawks with 262 kills while leading the team in digs with 174.
Junior setter Thane Fanfulik has tabbed 1065 assists for an average of 9.34 per set to go with 158 digs and 60 blocks. Fanfulik has also landed 104 kills to provide a versatile option from the setting position. Sophomore libero Collin Merk has put up 126 digs for an average of 1.38 per set. The Hawks hold a record of 8-10 versus common opponents of the Bearcats this season while McKendree is 4-11 in similar matches. The Bearcats topped Quincy 3-2 in their first matchup of the season on Feb. 19, bringing the all-time series to 1-4 in favor of the Hawks.
