(Lebanon, Ill., Oct. 2) -- McKendree women's volleyball will head to Springfield, MO on Tuesday to take on the current Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division leaders, the Drury University Panthers, who have won six straight matches. The Bearcats are coming off another successful week in GLVC play, picking up victories over Maryville, Southern Indiana and Bellarmine. They are currently on a ten-match winning streak, which is a program record in the NCAA era. Both teams received votes in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Poll that came out on Monday.
The Bearcats are led on offense by outside hitter
Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) and right-side hitter
Amanda Geiger (Tomball, TX/Concordia Lutheran). Williams is averaging a conference leading 4.45 kills per set, and has recorded 115 digs and 35 total blocks. Geiger is currently fourth in the GLVC in kills, averaging 3.67 per set. She is also second on the team in digs, averaging 3.37 per set.
Sophomore
Kelly Voss (St. Rose, IL/Mater Dei) is leading McKendree in digs, averaging over four per set. Junior setter
Morgan Melchert (Mt. Vernon, IA/Mt. Vernon) is fourth in the GLVC in assists, averaging 10.35 per set, and has contributed 167 digs.
The Bearcats have been stellar in the blocking department, and are led by senior
Carissa Lorenz (New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West) and sophomore
Megan Marks (Colgate, WI/Germantown), who have both compiled nine solo blocks and are each averaging more than 1 block per set. Lorenz leads the team in blocks, with 59 total, and has 56 kills, while Marks is second in blocks, with 53 total, and has 72 kills.
The Bearcats are 11-3 overall on the season, and undefeated in GLVC action (6-0). They remain in first-place in the GLVC Central Division. You can watch the match live starting at 7 pm by going to http://www.glvcsn.com/drury/.
ABOUT DRURY UNIVERSITY
The Panthers are currently 14-2 overall on the season, and 6-1 in GLVC play.
Drury has had a very successful start to its 2017 campaign, thanks in large part to a conference best 14.47 kills per set team average. A pair of junior outside hitters, Sarah Kite and Mara Bentley, are both in the top ten in the GLVC in kills. Kite leads the Panthers in that category, averaging 3.57 per set, and is third on the team in digs per set, with an average of 2.86. Bentley is averaging 3.25 kills per set, and is hitting .351. Junior Emmalee Chrest has collected 110 kills, and is averaging 2.88 digs per set.
Junior libero Bree Schmidt leads Drury on the defensive end, putting up 4.84 digs per set, placing her in the top ten in the GLVC. Sophomores Paige Perry and Kendra Sater are both averaging over 2.80 digs per set. Sater is leading the GLVC in assists per set, with an average of 11.61, and has recorded 25 total blocks.
Sophomore outside hitter Lily Hunter has posted 49 total blocks, and is averaging 1.83 kills per set. Freshman middle blocker Faith Alwardt is leading the Panthers in blocking, averaging 1.10 per set, and has put down 75 kills.
McKendree has won three of the last five matches against Drury, dating back to the 2011 season.
