(LEBANON, Ill., Jan. 24) – The McKendree University men's volleyball team is Pennsylvania bound to take on Penn State University Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The Beacats will then head to Loretto, Pa., to face Saint Francis University the following day at 1 p.m. ET.
McKendree is 1-1 on the season after falling to No. 7 UCLA in its season opener on Jan. 11 and then taking down the Golden Eagles of the University of Charleston the following day, Jan. 12, 3-1 at home.
The Bearcats' offense is supported by freshman outside hitter
Brendon Dunn (Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame), sophomore outside hitter
Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek), junior opposite
Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove), and sophomore middle blocker
Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine). Dunn leads the pack with 18 kills on the season, Ross and Schnittker are next with 16 kills each, and Dimke is right behind with 15 recorded kills. Dimke has also tallied three service aces on the season. Freshman setter
Ryan Serrano (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) has set up the McKendree offense 63 times in the two opening matches.
Defensive efforts for the Bearcats are controlled by Serrano and senior libero
Zach Thompson (Defiance, MO/Francis Howell), Serrano with 12 digs and Thompson with 11. Schnittker, Dunn, and Ross also play a large part in the Bearcat defense, Schnittker with 10 digs, Dunn with seven, and Ross with six. Dimke has a large presence at the net for McKendree's defense with 10 total blocks on the season. Serrano and Schnittker are strong protectors of the net as well, each with six total blocks.
Next up for McKendree is the Lindenwood Invitational Feb. 1-3 where they will take on Lourdes University, No. 1 Long Beach State University, and Alderson Broaddus University in St. Charles, Mo.
ABOUT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY:
The Nittany Lions are 2-2 overall on the season and 1-0 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) after defeating Saint francis University 3-1. Offensive efforts are led by outside hitter Matthew McLaren who has 37 kills recorded on the season followed closely by middle blocker Jason Donorovich who has 36 kills. Opposite Calvin Mende and outside hitter Cal Fisher offer strong offensive efforts as well, Mende with 27 kills and Fisher with 24. Setter Cole Bogner and setter Luke Braswell are equal partners in setting Penn State up for attack. Bogner has 75 assists while Braswell has 71 recorded assists. Donorovich leads the Nittany Lions in service aces with eight on the season followed by Fisher and outside hitter Brett Wildman who each have five. Libero Will Bantle leads the defensive efforts for the Nittany Lions with 28 digs on the season. After Bantle's efforts, the defense is spread evenly throughout the rest of the team. Donorovich and middle blocker Canyon Tuman are the leading blockers for Penn State, Donorovich with 13 total blocks and Tuman with 12.
ABOUT SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY:
Saint Francis is 3-2 overall on the season and 0-1 in the EIVA after falling 3-1 to Penn State University. Leading the offense is outside hitter Micahel Fisher with 61 total kills followed by opposite Patrick Bryan with 44. Outside hitter Cole Thompson is not far behind with 31 recorded kills. Setter BJ Blair is the main source of assists for the Red Flash with 174 recorded on the season thus far. Bryan has seven service aces on the season leading the Saint Francis Red Flash. Defensive efforts are controlled by libero Gabe Woffindin who has 34 total digs. Blair, Thompson, Fisher, and Bryan round out the rest of the defense, Blair with 18 digs, Thompson with 19, Fisher with 16, and Bryan with 15. The Red Flash have a strong presence defensively at the net with middle hitter Hayden Herc leading the team with 16 total blocks. Middle hitter Cole Carver is close behind with 10 blocks, Fisher and Blair are next, each with nine total blocks.
