(LEBANON, IL., Jan. 10) – The McKendree University men's volleyball program will kick off its 2019 season at home against No. 2 UCLA on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a Saturday match versus the University of Charleston at 7:30 p.m. in the Statham Center.
"This year marks a lot of firsts for our young program like hosting UCLA for our season opener and playing in the Rec Hall at Penn State," said Sanlin. "As a young team and program we have been focusing on communication and learning about ourselves this preseason to fully prepare for these new experiences our team will face. I look forward to seeing this team grow and gel with one another as the season progresses."
The Bearcats are entering their sixth year as a program under head coach
Nickie Sanlin, the fifth in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). McKendree finished the 2018 season 11-15 overall and 6-8 in the MIVA conference.
Key returners for the Bearcats are senior libero
Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell), sophomore outside hitter
Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek), and sophomore middle blocker
Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine). Thompson is a program record holder in total digs with 637 recorded. Thompson's personal career high is 16 total digs in the match against Ball Sate last season on Feb. 10. Ross proved to be a key player for McKendree after tallying 183 kills, 11 service aces, and 21 total blocks in the 2018 season. Another program record holder returning for the Bearcat squad is Dimke who holds fifth place in career kill percentage at .303. The middle blocker finished the 2018 season with 117 kills and 72 total blocks, the team defensive leader at the net.
After this weekend, McKendree will begin a seven-game road stretch starting with Penn State on the 25
th at 7 p.m. ET., the Lindenwood Invitational Tournament in St. Charles, Mo., Feb, 1
st through the 3
rd, and then will finish in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Feb. 8
th where they will take on Purdue Fort Wayne. MIVA conference competition will start for the Bearcats at the end of the road stretch with a match against Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7
th.
ABOUT UCLA:
UCLA is ranked 2
nd in the AVCA Division I-II poll. The Bruins are 2-1 to start their season after suffering a loss Wednesday Jan. 9 to No. 12 California State University, Northridge, 3-0. Key players for UCLA are opposite Brandon Rattray, outside hitter Dylan Missry, middle blocker Daenan Gyimah, and setter Micah Ma'a. Rattray leads the team in kills with 34 recorded in the three matches of their season thus far as well as tallying 15 digs for the defense. Missray follows the offensive leader with 30 recorded kills for the Bruins. Leading the team in service aces and total blocks is Gyimah with seven recorded aces and 14 total blocks. Right behind Gyimah in service aces is Ma'a who has six tallied so far. Ma'a also leads the team in total digs with 17 on the season. The Bruins finished 2018 with an overall record of 26-8 and 9-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). UCLA made it to the 2018 NCAA men's volleyball championships but fell to Long Beach State University.
ABOUT UNIV. OF CHARLESTON:
The University of Charleston opened its season on Jan 4
th with a match against Ohio State. The Buckeyes managed a sweep over the Golden Eagles, 3-0 causing UC to open the 2019 season 0-1. Maarten Bartels leads the team with eight kills and a .412 hitting percentage followed by Adriel Robert who has five kills and a .500 hitting percentage. In their first match, Eugene Stuart recorded two total blocks to lead the Golden Eagles at the net defensively to start the season. UC went 16-10 overall in 2018 and 5-9 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA).
