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(Lebanon, Ill., March 9) – Following an exciting weekend series at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the McKendree men's volleyball team will host the Saint Francis Red Flash in a non-conference contest on Saturday at 7 pm, before returning to conference action on Thursday, hosting Lindenwood University. The Bearcats are currently sixth in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association with a 3-5 record in conference play, and are 6-10 overall on the season.
Four Bearcats have earned more than 100 kills on the season, in senior Jared Wilcox, freshman Patrick Ross, senior Nolan Rueter, and red-shirt senior
Brendan Schmidt (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West).
Schmidt is hitting over .400 on the season, and is ranked fourth in the MIVA in total blocks, averaging around one per set, while Rueter has recorded 95 digs so far, ranking him second on the team.
Junior libero Zach Thompson leads McKendree in digs with 126, for an average of 2.10 per set. Senior setter Pasquale Fiduccia is top five in the conference in assists, averaging 9.65 per set.
SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY RED FLASH (8-11, 3-4 EIVA)
The Red Flash split a pair of conference matches on the road last weekend, losing at Princeton on Friday before taking down NJIT on Saturday, and are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings.
They are led on offense by two senior outside hitters in Stephen Braswell and Brandon Buck. Braswell leads the MIVA in kills with 205, while Buck is second in the conference with 197, with both players averaging just under three per set on the year.
Freshman libero Ryan Alu leads the EIVA in digs, recording 147, for a per-set average of 2.58. The Bearcats and Red Flash have met once before, with McKendree winning in four sets on 3/4/2017.
LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY LIONS (7-9, 1-6 MIVA)
The Lions defeated the Quincy University Hawks on Tuesday, and currently sit in seventh place in the MIVA standings. They boast the second best block in the conference, averaging 2.47 total per set as a team.
Senior libero Ryan Vorderer leads the MIVA in digs, averaging 2.88 per set, while junior middle blocker Connor Hipelius ranks first in the conference in total blocks, averaging 1.19 per set on the season. The Lindenwood offense is led by sophomore outside hitter Michael Jennings, who has recorded 123 kills, for an average of just over three per set.
It will mark the tenth all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Bearcats winning the last three matches, including a 3-0 decision back on January 18 in St. Charles, MO.
