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Storyline
The Lindenwood men's volleyball team begins its 13th season this Friday. The 2012 season will not be like any other as the program leaves NAIA competition and begins the transition to the NCAA level.

The makeup of this year's Lindenwood squad will also have a new look. The Lions lost 11 players off last year's team that went 24-10 and advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA National Invitational Tournament. This year's squad includes just two seniors and 13 sophomores and freshmen.

The opening weekend of the season will see Lindenwood facing two opponents for the first time. The Lions take on Limestone on Friday afternoon, followed by a Saturday game with Lees-McRae.

2011 In Review
The 2011 Lindenwood men's volleyball squad got off to a slow start, but turned into one of the top teams in the NAIA once things started to click.

The Lions started the season just 2-5, including a 1-2 mark in conference play. Lindenwood would go 19-3 though for the rest of the regular season. Included in that was nine straight conference victories which gave Lindenwood the MAMVIC West regular season title.

Postseason started on a good note as Lindenwood also won the conference tournament championship with two straight 3-1 victories. The Lions were seeded second at the national tournament and made it through pool play. In the semifinal round, Lindenwood lost to the host school, St. Ambrose, in five sets.

Top Returner
The top returning player in 2012 is JM Plummer, a first-team all-conference selection last season. Plummer, an outside hitter, was third on the team in kills last season with 2.21 a set. He was also third in service aces, and averaged 1.38 digs and 0.51 blocks a set.

Plummer enters 2012 needing just 10 points in order to reach 500 for his career.

Plummer is the lone Lion remaining from the 2009 squad that won the NAIA National Tournament title.

Other Returners
The other two returning letterwinners from last year are opposite hitter Jack Mitchell and libero Corey Buehler. Mitchell recorded 157 kills last year and averaged 1.27 kills a set. He also blocked 68 attacks and recorded 41 digs. Buehler averaged over one dig a game and made just one reception error in 114 attempts.

Top Newcomer
One of the leaders in 2012 will be someone with NCAA experience. Michael Adams joins Lindenwood after transferring from Lewis University. Last year, he played in 28 matches and had 45 kills, 18 service aces, 44 digs, and 19 blocks.

Setter Position
Lindenwood will have a new setter in 2012. Tim Schmidt is expected to get the starting nod at the beginning of the season. He played in three varsity matches last season and was one of the leaders of the program's junior varsity squad.

Two other former junior varsity players, Christopher Cox and Kevin Schmalzried, will also see time at the position.

2012 Schedule
Lindenwood will have 17 matches against NCAA Division I and II programs, six versus NCAA Division III schools, and 10 against NAIA programs.

Up Next
Lindenwood starts a seven-game homestand next week with matches versus Missouri Baptist, Quincy, and Park.

About the Saints
Limestone is 3-0 on the season after winning three straight three-set matches last week at the Mount Olive Invitational. The Saints hit .359 at the tournament and held opposing teams to a .211 mark. They are averaging 13.4 kills a set and allowing 7.3.

The duo of Scott Warren and Kevin Hart lead the team. The pair combine for nearly eight kills a set and are hitting .341. Defensively, they are also the team leaders in digs with a combined total of three a set. Andrew Pile leads the team with 11.0 assists a set, and Curtis Van Grinsven has 1.44 blocks a set.

Head coach of Limestone is Rick Banis. He is in his second season as the head coach and has a mark of 18-8.

About the Bobcats
Lees-McRae is 1-1 on the young season. The Bobcats opened the year with a 3-0 loss to the defending NCAA National Champions, Ohio State. The next day, they bounced back for a 3-1 win over Mount St. Joseph.

The Bobcats are hitting .227, and they have held opponents to a .140 mark. Lees-McRae is averaging 13.6 digs and 1.9 blocks a set.

Three players, Jose Ribas, John Lucas, and Matt Harpenau, have double-figure kill totals on the young season. Randy Ramirez is averaging over eight assists a game, Efrain Negron has 4.43 digs a set, and Joshua Jones is blocking one attack a set.

James Goodridge is in his second year as the head coach. He has a career coaching mark of 17-11.