LEBANON, Ill. - The No. 15 McKendree men's volleyball program prepares for their final Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association road trip this weekend with a match against No. 7 Ball State on Thursday at 6 p.m. central and a 5 p.m. central match on Saturday at Ohio State.
The Bearcats come into the week on a three-match winning streak that saw the Bearcats take down two nationally ranked opponents. The Bearcats are 12-8 on the season and 7-3 in MIVA play as they are third in the MIVA Standings.
Ball State enters the week 17-2 and 9-1 in MIVA play to sit atop the MIVA standings while Ohio State 10-12 and 4-6 in MIVA play to sit in a four-way tie for fourth in the MIVA standings.
About McKendree
The Bearcats are led by graduate student opposite hitter Ethan Carroll (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) has recorded the third most kills in a season with 270 kills. Graduate student outside hitter Patrick Ross (Anthem, Ariz./Boulder Creek) is second on the team with 255 kills and needs 25 kills to tie Nolan Rueter (933 kills) for the career record. Freshman outside hitter Kevin Schuele (Aurora, Ill./Saint Francis) has recorded two double-doubles in his last three matches.
Defensively, the Bearcats are led by senior libero Francisco Comas (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) as he has recorded 156 digs. Redshirt senior setter Ryan Serrano (Phoenix, Ariz./Boulder Creek) is second on the team with 135 digs, Ross is third with 130 digs and Schuele has recorded 106 digs. For the season, the Bearcats average 9.44 digs per set.
About Ball State
The Cardinals offense will be led by Kaleb Jenness as he has recorded 301 kills this season on a .301 hitting percentage. Angelos Mandilaris is second on the team with 198 kills on a .346 hitting percentage. Jenness is averaging 4.63 kills per set while Mandilaris is averaging 4.21 kills per set.
Defensively, Ball State is led by Quinn Isaacson with 133 digs while Colin Insalaco is second with 127 digs. The Cardinals average 9.21 digs per set this season and hold opponents to a .236 hitting percentage.
About Ohio State
The Buckeyes offense will be led by Jacob Pasteur with 286 kills this season while Samuel Clark is second with 286 kills and Martin Lallemand has 157 kills. The Buckeyes are hitting .306 as a team this season.
Defensively, Ohio State's Parker Mikesch will lead the Buckeyes as he has recorded 179 digs. Noah Platfoot and Pasteur are tied for second with 112 digs on the season. The Buckeyes record 8.59 digs per set.
Up Next
After this weekend the Bearcats close out the regular season with two MIVA matchups at the Melvin Price Convocation Center on Thursday, April 7 against Lindenwood at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 9 against Quincy at 5 p.m.
