LEBANON, Ill. – Mark your calendars because the McKendree's men's volleyball team has released their schedule for the 2026 season. The Bearcats are preparing for the upcoming season under the guidance of head coach Nickie Sanlin, reining AVCA Men's National Collegiate Coach of the Year. Sanlin is entering her 13th season with the Bearcats as they make their 12th appearance as members of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).
Sanlin is coming off leading McKendree to a 20-8 overall record, 13-3 conference record during a historic 2025 season. This was the best record and most victories of any McKendree men's volleyball team in program history. The Bearcats also set a program best 12 game win streak last season. Sanlin lead her team to its first MIVA regular season title, sharing the number one seed placement going into the '25 MIVA tournament.
The Bearcats will kick off the '26 season with a trip to the west coast to face UCLA and Long Beach State Jan. 9th-10th, followed by one to Charleston, WV as they compete against Mount Olive and Charleston on Jan. 16th-17th.
McKendree will return to the Melvin Price Convocation Center for a three-week home stand where they will compete in six matches. The Bearcats home opener for the 2026 season will be against Penn State with back-to-back matches on Jan. 23rd and 24th. McKendree will enter the next weekend with a contest against Missouri S&T followed by Rockhurst.
The Bearcats will end their home stand with the start of MIVA play as they will face Lewis on Feb. 4th and Loyola on the 6th.
McKendree will hit the road the next weekend as they continue MIVA competition with Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Bearcats will then make the short trip to Lindenwood before being back on their home court Feb. 26th.
The Bearcats return home for a short stent with a pair of matches against Queens. McKendree will be back on the road the following weekend, Mar. 5th-7th. The team will be traveling to Northern Kentucky then to Ohio State as MIVA action continues.
McKendree will have another home stand for the remainder of March, the 10th-28th. The Bearcats will compete in a non-conference match against Belmont Abbey before facing Lindenwood. McKendree will follow placing a momentary pause on MIVA play to face Harvard for two matches. The team will resume MIVA play and end their home stand with Purdue Fort Wayne and Ball State.
The Bearcats will close out their regular season road trips with Loyola and Lewis on Apr. 2nd and 4th, respectively. The following weekend, McKendree will finish regular season play with contests against Ohio State and Northern Kentucky.
The MIVA tournament is set to begin with the quarterfinals on Apr. 18th followed by the semifinals on the 22nd. The championship match will take place on the 25th. The times and locations are TBA.
For the full schedule, please visit mckbearcats.com.
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