LEBANON, Ill. – Head Women's Volleyball Coach Miranda Rodriguez is pleased to announce the program's 2026 season schedule, which includes both its conference and non-conference slates.
This fall will mark year 15 under the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) umbrella for the Bearcats, as it will be the 3rd season led by Rodriguez at the helm. McKendree looks to capture their first-ever GLVC title and to make a third program appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
For the second consecutive year, the Bearcats will open their season at home with the McKendree Invitational that will run from August 27th through 29th at the Melvin Price Convocation Center (MPCC) in Lebanon. The full field includes Maryville University, Northwest Missouri State University, Harding University, Ouachita Baptist University, and the University of Montevallo. Fans are encouraged to check out the Invitational's TOURNAMENT CENTRAL page for all the dates, times, matchups, and where to tune in.
McKendree will hit the road for the first time to take part in the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational (hosted by Kentucky Wesleyan College) on September 4th and 5th. They will play three matches over the two-day span with the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith up first on Friday and will face KWC and Davis & Elkins College on Saturday to wrap up their time in Owensboro.
The third of three in initiating will take place at the Holiday Inn Express Griffon Volleyball Invitational, which will be hosted by Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. On day one, on September 11th, McKendree will take on Arkansas Tech University, then on day two, September 12th, will be against the University of Central Missouri and the host MWSU.
After the invitationals, the Bearcats will immediately turn their attention to the GLVC portion of the schedule, where they will host the conference-opener against Drury University on Friday, September 18th. They will then go into a Bearcat battle with Southwest Baptist University the next day at the MPCC on September 19th.
In-state foes University of Illinois Springfield and Quincy University will await the team's arrival on September 25th and 26th, respectively after McKendree's first two home GLVC stints.
A return to home will follow, where Upper Iowa University will make its six-hour trip to Lebanon on October 2nd, as Truman State University will take either I-64 or I-72 to partake in the matchup on October 3rd.
The Bearcats will then head to the Show-Me State for a pair of road contests as a date with Missouri S&T will be anticipated as an evening showdown on October 9th. A trip to St. Louis will make the drive back more favorable for McKendree, as they will face Maryville on October 10th inside the Moloney Arena.
After eight games into conference play, the Bearcats will trek to Hammond, Indiana for the annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover, along with other members of the GLVC, as they will face three collective opposing institutions from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) or the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Crossover will be on October 16th and 17th, with McKendree's matchups still to be determined.
Once the Crossover is complete, the Bearcats will embark on a three-game home stretch by taking on the University of Indianapolis in their final year as a GLVC member on October 23rd. Senior Day will be held the day after on October 24th in a matinee game against the Flyers of Lewis University scheduled for 3:00 PM CT. The next week will be a light one, as they will sharpen their focus in hosting the reigning conference champion University of Missouri-St. Louis on Friday, October 30th.
One more true road trip will round out the regular season slate, as McKendree will travel to Kansas City to take on Rockhurst University on November 6th and will end off at William Jewell College on November 7th.
Should the Bearcats maintain a top-eight finish in the conference standings, they will deserve a spot in the upcoming GLVC Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament, which will be held from November 12th to 14th at the Williamsville Field House in Williamsville, Illinois.
The NCAA Tournament will take place soon after, with the Midwest Regional set from November 19th to 22nd at the location of the top seed. Winners out of the eight regions will head to Kansas City to vie for the national championship at the Municipal Auditorium.
2026 FULL SEASON SCHEDULE
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