LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University is set to open its 2021-22 women's basketball regular season this coming weekend with a pair of games at the Melvin Price Convocation Center in the Midwest Region Crossover. The Bearcats will open the season by facing Tiffin University at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12, before meeting Purdue Northwest on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. Illinois-Springfield is the other team playing in the four-team event as they face PNW at 3 p.m. on Friday and Tiffin at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
 
It marks the third time in the last four seasons that McKendree has its season against Tiffin and Purdue-Northwest at the Midwest Region Crossover, which used to be called the GLVC/GMAC Crossover, before PNW moved to the GLIAC prior to the 2020-21 season. In 2018, the Bearcats opened the season with a 75-69 win in overtime against PNW at Tiffin and then opened the 2019 season with a 60-46 win over PNW in Springfield, Ill. The Bearcats are 3-1 in the crossover event as their only loss came to Tiffin (76-74) in 2018.
 
"We are very excited to begin our 2021-22 season this weekend at home against two quality regional opponents," seventh-year McKendree University women's basketball coach Kari Kerkhoff said. "This is a great group of ladies that I enjoy going to practice with every day. I'm just super excited to get things going with this team."
 
Kerkhoff has compiled a 67-93 record as the Bearcats coach and has led the program to double-digit win totals in five of her first six seasons and has led McKendree to three trips to the GLVC Tournament since 2015. Kerkhoff's 2021-22 squad welcomes back four starters and nine letterwinners from last season's 8-13 team.
 
"We have two All-Conference kids coming back in Sydney (Diekhoff) and Christy (Fortune). Fortune was also a part of the GLVC All-Freshman team last year. We're looking for those two to come in and be a huge impact," Kerkhoff said. "We are returning a lot of experienced players from last season and our practices have been good with lots of energy."
 
Among the key returners for the McKendree is redshirt senior guard Sydney Diekhoff (Pekin, Ill./Pekin Community), who was named a Second-Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference performer after leading the Bearcats in scoring at 16.8 points per game. Last season, Diekhoff became the 16th member of McKendree's women's basketball 1,000-Point Club.
 
In addition to Diekhoff, other key returners this season are sophomore guard Christy Fortune (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West), senior guard Jenna Krause (Seymour, Wis./Seymour) and redshirt junior guard Kaelyn Froebe (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln).
 
Fortune was named a Third-Team All-GLVC selection and also earned All-Freshman honors a season ago after being second on the team in scoring with 273 points and averaged 13.0 points per game and shot 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line, while Krause averaged 7.7 points per game and led the team in blocks with eight and Froebe averaged 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
 
"Fortune has been a great leader here the past month or so in practice with our limited numbers," the McKendree coach said. "We also have Jenna (Krause) coming back who will be a nice combo guard helping us out being a spark with her ability to shoot the three and also being able to get inside and make some great baskets along with quite a few assists. I expect Froebe's role and scoring ability to go up immensely this coming season. She is a kid that has a scorer's mentality and I love how she plays; kind of with no fear and I think she can be another one that can average double figures for us this year."
 
The Bearcats tuned up for the regular season by playing an exhibition game last Thursday at NCAA Division I Bradley University, a game the Braves won, 101-75. In the exhibition game against Bradley, who advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history last year, the Bearcats held a 20-14 lead just eight minutes into the contest and pulled within 54-49 just three minutes into the third quarter.
 
"We have been limited in numbers in practice due to injuries and haven't had really much up and down, but it was great to see some execution in our exhibition game last week at Bradley with us being able go full court," said Kerkhoff.
 
Against Bradley, five Bearcats scored in double figures led by Froebe, who tallied 17 points and added six rebounds and five assists. In addition to Froebe, Fortune added a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while second year freshman guard Clare Breden (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville Community) had 11 points. Sophomore guard Erin Golden (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and redshirt sophomore guard Ashley Schloer (O'Fallon, Ill./St. Cloud State) each had 10 points for the game. 
 
When asked what she learned about her team's play in the exhibition game, Kerkhoff commented that she really liked the grittiness and the competition level of her team.
 
"I really thought our team never backed down and did a great job executing our game plan and I really think the game helped us prepare for what we will see this weekend when we open our season," added Kerkhoff, who the third longest tenured coach in McKendree women's basketball history.
 
Braden and Meyer are two new players that Kerkhoff is excited with what they will provide to her team this season.
 
Braden will play her first full season for the Bearcats in 2021-22 after playing just 13 games in the second semester last season after enrolling early in school, while Meyer is a freshman that joins McKendree after a standout prep career at Hartford Union High School in Wisconsin.
 
"Clare (Braden) had a good semester last year coming in early and getting some great experience in the GLVC. I expect some big things out of her in that combo position. She is going to bring some great shooting from the point guard spot," added the McKendree coach. "Maci (Meyer) should be able to come in and help us open it up on the outside for us and knock down some threes."
 
Two of the most pleasant surprises for Kerkhoff so far in practice this preseason have been Golden and Schloer.
 
"Erin has taken her experience from her freshman year that was valuable to her and she's just been a great asset in practice and then in the exhibition game she had an attack mode as she drove to the basket," the coach added. "Ashley is another one that has stepped up. She got some good minutes in the exhibition game and ran with them and I think she's going to continue to be valuable to us in certain situations this year."
 
Kerkhoff says one of the biggest keys to her team's season in 2021-22 is its ability to rebound the basketball.
 
"The big thing is we're going to have to rebound. We're smaller in size, smaller in numbers, but we've to have that mentality of causing chaos on the defensive end full court and then being able to finish it with a box out," Kerkhoff said. "If we can rebound better this year, I believe that's a handful of games that we would've been able to win last year because we had quite a few single digit losses last year, so being able to rebound that's going to be a huge help."
 
During the shortened 2020-21 season, McKendree lost six games by seven or fewer points, including ending the year with a three-point loss (87-84) at Maryville University and a two-point loss (75-73) at Lindenwood. In fact, nine of McKendree's 13 losses were by 10 or fewer points a season ago.
 
"I believe we need to finish games a little bit better. We had a lot of single-digit losses last year and if you can turn over those games, you're going from eight wins in the conference we had last year to maybe the 12 or 13 win range and you're not just sitting there talking about getting into the conference tournament, but to being in the middle of the pack in the league standings," Kerkhoff said about her team's close losses last season. 
 
While rebounding is expected to be a key to success this season, in the exhibition game against Bradley, the rebounding margin was just three in favor of the taller Bradley team as the Braves held a 37-34 edge on the boards and Kerkhoff said that was an encouraging sign.
 
"I was pleasantly surprised with that rebounding stat line against Bradley. I feel like we have been focusing on it (rebounding), but the biggest part is that it needs to be an every day mentality to be able to box out and go get the basketball," the coach added. 
 
Without a lot of size this season as the tallest person on the McKendree roster is listed at 6-foot-2, Kerkhoff has adjusted the way her team will play this season as the Bearcats are expected to play a more of a full court style defensively, but that new style has been difficult to practice due to the limited numbers.
 
"We have had to have a lot of defensive breakdown scenarios and more than anything, because of the style that we're playing and it is a different style because we're adapting due to our size that I kind of have a no fear, be aggressive approach and don't be afraid to make mistakes mentality because in the long run that's going to get us a lot better results," Kerkhoff stated about her team's new style this year.
 
The Bearcats have had limited numbers in practice due to injuries and Kerkhoff is hopeful that her team continues to get healthy as the season approaches and hopes by December the team will almost be back to full strength as several injured players are expected to return early in December.
 
Kerkhoff expects the GLVC to once again be a battle each and every time you step on the court this season.
 
"The GLVC is one of the top leagues in the country every season and that shouldn't change this season," added Kerkhoff. "It's a battle every night in this league and I felt like every game last year was so close when you looked at the scores and I expect more of the same this year."
 
In the Preseason GLVC Coaches poll, the Bearcats were tabbed to finish fifth in the East Division as they earned five points from the East Division coaches.
 
Perhaps the biggest change from last season to this season is the presence of fans in the stands both at home and on the road. Last season, the Bearcats and the other schools in the GLVC played in empty gyms that had only essential game day personnel in attendance.
 
"It will be exciting to once again have fans in the stands this year and it should provide an extra spark, a little extra motivation to play in front of our great fans," added Kerkhoff. "At the same time, it's going to be a new experience for our freshman and sophomores and it just brings another extra edge in our game."
 
Along with having fans back in the stands this year, another new change this season is the pushing back of the three-point line to the men's distance of 22' 1.75" from last year's distance of 20'9".
 
"I think you will see some better spacing (with the new 3-point line distance) and with the game being officiated with more freedom of movement, you are going to see a lot more teams driving the ball and probably getting to the free throw line more often."
 
McKendree's first opponent this season, Tiffin, posted an 18-9 overall record and returns several key returners from last year's team that fell 82-52 in the Atlantic Regional Tournament championship game to Charleston (W.Va.). Tiffin's 18 wins last season were the second most in school history and in the Preseason GMAC Coaches Poll, Tiffin was tabbed to finish fifth. 
 
Among the key returners for the Dragons are First-Team All-GMAC guard Aarion Nichols, who led the Dragons in both points (16.0), rebounds (8.6) and assists (3.1) and Second-Team All-GMAC guard Savanah Richards, who averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
 
"Tiffin is coming off a championship last season. I know they have turned things around the past two years and have quite a few returners coming back so it's not going to be easy competition right off the bat," Kerkhoff said about Tiffin.
 
Meanwhile, Saturday's foe, Purdue Northwest, returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished with a 4-15 overall record.
 
Among the key returners for the Pride is junior guard Savaya Brockington, who was named an All-GLIAC performer last season after averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. In the Preseason GLIAC Coaches Poll, PNW was tabbed to finish fifth in the North Division after earning 23 points. 
 
"Purdue Northwest is a scrappy team from what I remember from a few years ago," said Kerkhoff. "We are definitely going to have to play a full court game with both of these teams this weekend and hopefully create a lot chaos."
 
Following this weekend's Midwest Region Crossover, the Bearcats will play the following weekend (Nov. 19-20) at the Quincy Subway Classic in Quincy, Ill. At the event, the Bearcats will face Winona State on Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. and then play Ferris State on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.

Here is the complete Midwest Region Crossover schedule for this weekend:
Friday, November 12
1 p.m. - Tiffin vs. McKendree 
3 p.m. - Illinois-Springfield vs. Purdue Northwest
Saturday, November 13
11 a.m. - Illinois-Springfield vs. Tiffin
1 p.m. - McKendree vs. Purdue Northwest