LEBANON, IL & ST. CHARLES, MO  --  Missouri S&T Men's Volleyball is back on the road this weekend, with trips to #11 McKendree and #18 Lindenwood on tap. The Miners will start their weekend with the Bearcats at 7pm on Friday, before facing the Lions at 7pm on Saturday.

About the Miners
S&T enters the weekend with their best record through five games in program history at 4-1. They started the season with a 3-1 loss to #16 Ball State, but have won the last four consecutive matches, most recently defeating St. Thomas Aquinas College 3-2. The Miners rank in the top 26 in NCAA Division I/II for seven key statistics, including 5th in digs per set (10.0) and 18th in assists per set (11.5).

Grant Edmonds' (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) 10.59 assists per set is the third-highest in the nation, with only UCLA's Andrew Rowan and Hawaii's Tread Rosenthal ranking above him. Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) and Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) both rank in the top 25 nationally for hitting percentage, with Johnwick's .464 ranking 6th overall and leading the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Meyer also ranks 6th in the nation for points per set (5.0) and 10th for kills per set (4.23).

The Miners have dominated the first two installments of the GLVC's weekly awards for the season, earning five of the first six awards. Meyer earned two GLVC offensive player of the weeks and a defensive player of the week while Edmonds has picked up both setter of the week honors.

About the Bearcats
McKendree started their 2026 season off by facing two of the top programs in the country, falling to #1 UCLA and #3 Long Beach State both in straight sets. They have rebounded from the 0-2 start though, winning four in a row, including back-to-back victories over #10 Penn State at home. They are top 12 in the nation for assists per set (7th), digs per set (8th), and kills per set (11th).

Nathan Flayter sits just behind Edmonds in the national assists per set rankings, coming in at 4th overall with a 10.45 per set. He also ranks 32nd in the nation for aces per set, averaging .45 through the first six matches. Senior middle Rolen Lively ranks 4th in the nation for hitting percentage, recording 37 kills and just two errors on 69 attacks this year.

About the Lions
Lindenwood dropped their season opener, falling in straight sets to #3 Long Beach State. They have won every match since then, defeating Vanguard, Menlo, Quincy, as well as picking up a statement win over #12 CSUN. The team is 2nd in the nation in aces per set, averaging 2.56.

They have three athletes in the top 20 nationally for aces per set, led by Zach Solomon who is 2nd in the nation and averaging an ace per set. He also ranks 16th in in assists per set, putting up 9.88 per set. Owen Walsh leads the Lions in hitting percentage, ranking 5th in the nation with .480.

What's Next
The Miners will travel to Park University next week to wrap up an eight match road stretch before returning home for a match against Edward Waters in February 12th.

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