(LEBANON, Ill., March 20) – The McKendree University is set to travel to Provo, Utah for the Bringham Young University Invite. The Bearcats are set to face No. 2 Hawaii, No. 8 BYU, and Princeton University during the three day tournament, March 21-23. McKendree is currently 9-8 overall on the season and 6-4 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) competition.

On Thursday March 21, the Bearcats will take on the undefeated No. 2 Hawaii at 4 p.m. MT. The following day, McKendree will face No. 8 Bringham Young University at 7 p.m. MT. To wrap up the tournament action, the Bearcats will have a 12 p.m. MT match against Princeton University.

The Bearcats have proven to be a strong blocking team as they have recorded 161.5 total blocks, 53.5 more than their opponents' average total of 108. With 17 games under its belt, McKendree is averaging 2.52 blocks per set whereas its opponents are only tallying 1.69 blocks per set. Leading the team in total blocks is sophomore middle blocker Wyatt Dimke (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine) with 59 total blocks.

Offensive efforts for McKendree are powered by junior opposite Zach Schnittker (Arlington Heights, IL/Buffalo Grove), sophomore outside hitter Patrick Ross (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek), and Dimke. Schnittker leads the way with 147 total kills, Ross is nest with 129, and Dimke rounds out the efforts with 106 kills. Dimke also leads the team in hitting percentage with a .407% on the season. Freshman setter Ryan Serrano (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek) has set up the Bearcats 571 times on the season.

Defensive leaders for the Bearcats are Serrano, Schnittker, and freshman libero Francisco Comas (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley High School). Serrano has recorded 105 digs on the season, Schnittker is next with 90 while Comas is close behind with 89 total digs. Comas does lead the team in digs per set with an average of 2.41 recorded for the season.

After this weekend's tournament, McKendree will resume MIVA competition with a trip north to take on No. 10 Loyola University Chicago on March 28 at 7 p.m. followed by a match against No. 7 Lewis University on March 29 at 7 p.m. as well.

NEW MATCH UPDATE (3/21): The match against the University of Hawaii on March 21 has been changed from 5 p.m. MT to 4 p.m. MT.

ABOUT NO.2 UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII:
The University of Hawaii is currently 17-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big West Conference (BWC), making them one of two collegiate men's volleyball teams that is still undefeated (No. 1 Long Beach State is the other program). The Rainbow Warriors have yet to loose even a set in one of their matches this season. Hawaii's offensive leaders are opposite Rado Parapunov, outside hitter Stijn Van Tiburg, and outside hitter Colton Cowell. Parapunov leads the way with 185 total kills, Van Tilburg is next with 157 kills, and Cowell rounds out the leaderboard with 122 kills. Defensive leaders are libero Gage Worsley and setter Joe Worsley, Gage with 139 total digs and Joe with 76. At the net for the Rainbow Warriors' defense is middle blocker Patrick Gasman with 68 total blocks, middle blocker Dalton Solbrig with 45, and Parapunov with 38. Hawaii has tallied 104.5 total blocks as a team.   

ABOUT NO. 8 BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY:
Brigham Young currently sits eighth in the country with an 11-6 overall record and 6-3 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference. The Cougars lead attackers are opposite Gabi Garcia Fernande and outside hitter Davide Gardini, Garcia Fernande with 271 total kills on the season and Gardini with 223. Middle blocker Felipe de Brito Ferr is also a key contributor with 91 total kills and the highest hitting percentage on the team with a .517%. Defensive leaders for BYU are Fernande, Gardini, and libero Taylor Richards. Fernande has recorded 93 total digs, Gardini is next with 89 total digs, and Richards follows with 69 digs on the season. At the net for the Cougars defense is middle blocker Miki Jauhianinen with 73 total blocks, de Brito Ferr with 54, and middle blocker Branden Oberender with 50. The Courgars have tallied 164.5 total blocks on the season.

ABOUT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY:
Princeton University is 10-9 overall on the season and 8-1 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) conference. They have received votes in the national rankings the past few weeks but seem to just miss the 15^th spot each time. Outside hitter Dixon Parker, Opposite George Huhmann, and outside hitter Greg Luck lead the Tigers in total kills on the season. Parker has recorded 238 total kills, Huhmann is next with 224, and Luck follows with 165 total kills. Luck also leads the team in service aces with 35 tallied on the season. Defensive efforts are led by Luck, setter Joe Kelly, and outside hitter Kendall Ratter. Luck has obtained 82 digs on the season, Kelly is next with 67 total digs, and Ratter follows with 57. At the net for the Tigers defense is Huhmann, Luck, and Parker. Huhmann has tallied 59 total blocks, Luck has 52, and Parker is close behind with 44 total blocks. As a team, Princeton has accumulated a .281 hitting percentage and 134 total blocks as a team this season.