LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University men's volleyball will host its home opener on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Melvin Price Convocation Center against the New Jersey Institute of Technology at 7 p.m.
 
The Bearcats hold an 0-2 record after their weekend outing at Brigham Young University, falling in three sets to host BYU and No. 8-ranked UC-Irvine.
 
Despite the two setbacks, McKendree head coach Nickie Sanlin is hopeful for the season ahead.
 
"This early in the season, we are learning each other and starting to build relationships on the court. It's amazing to watch this core of guys transition into larger roles this year for us," said Sanlin. "We saw some good things at BYU and will continue to build on those before we get to conference play."
 
As a team, McKendree ended the weekend averaging 12.17 kills, 11.83 assists, and 7.67 digs per set. The 7.67 digs per sets currently tops the standings in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) conference.
 
In McKendree's first two games, the Bearcats were led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Kevin Schuele, who tallied 25 kills and currently leads the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference with 4.17 kills per set.
 
At 3.00 kills per set, redshirt junior outside hitter Kyle Wilson sits just behind Schuele with 18 total kills from the weekend.
 
Defensively, for the Bearcats, graduate student libero Francisco Comas led with 11 digs while Schuele collected 10 digs on the weekend. Redshirt senior middle blocker Daniel Duggan topped the blocks column with five.
 
NJIT finished 2022 season with a 17-11 overall record, falling to Princeton in the conference finals to conclude the season. The Highlanders come into Tuesday's game sporting a 1-0 record after snagging a three-set win against MIVA-foe Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.
 
As a team, NJIT averaged 12.33 kills, 12.00 assists, and 5.33 digs per set in their first outing of the season.
 
Returning for the Highlanders this season are senior outside hitter Julian Meissner and sophomore outside hitter Alessandro Negri who led NJIT with 340 and 286 kills, respectively, last season. Both outside hitters were selected to the All-EIVA First Team in 2022.
 
Negri tallied 14 kills and four aces while Meissner recorded 10 kills in the Highlanders' first game of 2023.
 
Defensively, Negri also led with five digs while senior middle blocker Martin de Chavarria recorded four blocks for NJIT.
 
UP NEXT
The Bearcats will continue their home slate as they host Central State on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.