LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University men's volleyball opens play against Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foes this week as they face Ohio State on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET and Ball State on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. The Bearcats are 5-2 on the season after grabbing two home wins against Missouri S&T and Long Island this past weekend.
After falling in the first two games of the season, the Bearcats have been on a five-game win streak, grabbing two victories on the road at Harvard and three wins on their home court. McKendree's current record this season is one win better than last season as the Bearcats started with a 4-3 record in their first seven games in 2022.
With its 5-2 record, McKendree ranks third in the MIVA behind Purdue Fort Wayne (9-1) and Loyola Chicago (7-2).
As a team, McKendree is hitting .293 for the season, recording their highest hitting percentage of the year against Missouri S&T at .429.
Leading the Bearcats in kills are freshman opposite side hitter Bryce Wetjen with 3.12 kills per set and sophomore outside hitter Kevin Schuele with 2.73 kills per set. Schuele also leads McKendree in aces, tallying 11 for the year.
Junior setter Tyler Poulsen tops the assists for the Bearcats, recording 264 total and 10.15 per set.
Defensively, redshirt junior outside Kyle Wilson averages a team-high 1.55 digs per set while middle blockers freshman Rolen Lively and redshirt senior Daniel Duggan average 1.06 and 1.00 blocks per set respectively.
Ohio State holds a 7-3 record after most recently posting a 3-1 win over USC. The Buckeyes rank fourth just below McKendree in MIVA standings.
The Buckeyes are led in hitting by outside hitter Jacob Pasteur, tallying 3.56 kills per set and snagging 13 aces on the season. Junior setter Noah Platfoot has amassed 203 assists for a 9.67 assists per set average.
On the defensive side, junior libero Thomas Poole averages 1.69 digs per set for Ohio State while sophomore middle blocker Hudson Harris sits at 0.89 blocks per set.
In the last meeting between Ohio State and McKendree on April 2, 2022, the Buckeyes came away with a 3-2 victory.
Ball State ranks fifth in the MIVA with a 5-3 overall record following a 1-1 outing against BYU this past week. The Cardinals will play Lewis on Thursday night before their matchup with McKendree on Saturday.
Leading the Cardinals in kills is graduate student outside hitter Kaleb Jenness who averages 3.54 kills per set. Jenness was 2022's MIVA Player of the Year and voted in pre-season polls to repeat with the honor for the 2023 season.
Senior setter David Flores sits just above Poulsen's average at 10.52 assists per set and 284 total assists for the year.
Jenness also leads in digs per set with 1.58 while sophomore middle blocker Vanis Buckholz holds a 1.33 blocks per set average.
In the last meeting between Ball State and McKendree on March 31, 2022, the Cardinals defeated the Bearcats 3-0 in Muncie, Ind.
UP NEXT
Following the two road games, McKendree will be back at Melvin Price Convocation Center for a three-game homestand starting with a game against Lindenwood on Feb. 15.
