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Storyline
The Lindenwood men's volleyball team hits the road this week for five matches in six days. The Lions play at Hope International on Monday, take on California Baptist on Tuesday and Wednesday, and finish up their west coast trip with contests against Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday.
Lindenwood fell to California Baptist at Hyland Arena early this season in four sets. It has not faced the other two teams in 2012.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood went 2-1 last week with road victories over Fontbonne and Saint Xavier, and a loss against No. 6 Lewis.
The Lions got to play most of the roster in a 25-19, 25-19, and 25-17 win at Fontbonne. Lindenwood's defense held the Griffins to just 28 kills and 24 hitting errors.
Against Saint Xavier, the Lions won by scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, and 25-14. For the second straight match, Lindenwood had double-figure block totals and it hit .388.
Lindenwood fell to Lewis for the second time this season, this time by scores of 25-19, 25-20, and 25-16. The Lions were outhit .366 to .133.
Senior Leader
Jack Mitchell continued his recent hot streak last week. On the current road trip, he is averaging 3.87 kills, 1.67 digs, and 1.13 blocks a set. Mitchell is hitting .388 in that span.
Mitchell leads the team with 3.31 kills a set. He has collected 275 kills and is hitting .262. He is also fourth on the team with 113 digs and second with 69 blocks.
Mitchell has led the team in kills in 14 matches and he has recorded double-figure kill totals in 16 of 23 matches.
Career for Plummer
JM Plummer is approaching some of the school's top-10 career lists.
Plummer currently has 578 digs, which ranks eighth in school history. He needs three more to move into seventh. Plummer is also tenth in double-figure kill matches with 22.
All-Time Series
Lindenwood is 12-1 all-time against Hope International with the first meeting occuring in 2003. The Lions have won six contests in three sets, four in four sets and two in five sets. The lone loss came in 2010 at the Lindenwood Invitational.
The Lions will once again be matched up against their old NAIA rival and 2011 NAIA National Champions California Baptist. Lindenwood is 6-22 against the Lancers, including a 1-2 record in National Championship matches.
California Baptist won the last four meetings and overall has won 11 matches in three sets, nine in four and two in five. In the Lions victories, the squad has two wins in each category.
Lindenwood is 2-0 all-time against Grand Canyon. The first meeting in 2010 went three sets as a neutral site match, while the Lions captured the second win in 2011 when it went four sets in Arizona.
Earlier This Season
Lindenwood lost to the Lancers by scores of 25-17, 25-22, 25-21, and 25-21. The Lions put on a great effort recording identical blocks to the Lancers and posting 47 kills in the match.
Jack Mitchell led Lindenwood with 19 kills and hit .455 on the match. Austin Tudoer had nine kills while
Michael Adams posted eight kills.
David Poole had a team-high seven digs.
The Lions couldn't stop the Lancers' offense that hit .370 during the match. Kristopher Johnson posted 13 kills on 17 attempts with only two errors while both Lancer outsides tallied double-digit kills.
About the Royals
Hope International is 14-7 on the season and ranked No. 3 in the NAIA. The Royals won their conference tournament last weekend.
Leading the Royals is Thomas Cervetti, who is averaging 3.74 kills a set, and Dominique Blonski, who has recorded 192 kills and a .293 hitting percentage.
The Royals are coached by Victor Jennings, who is in his fifth season with a current overall record of 61-60.
About the Lancers
California Baptist has improved since the last time the Lions saw them. The team is currently 10-14 and has won seven of their last eight matches, including victories over No. 15 Loyola and No. 6 Lewis.
Aaron McCalmont is the team's top overall player. He leads the team with 288 kills, 31 service aces, and 176 digs. Connor Metcalfe leads the team with 798 assists, while Kristopher Johnson is hitting .442.
Interim head coach of the Lancers is Alan Vince who is in his first year.
About the Antelopes
The Lopes are currently 14-11 on the season and 5-3 in the MIVA Conference.
Leading Grand Canyon at setter is Keith Smith with 860 assists and Ben Ponnet averaging 3.78 kills.
Jeremy Price is in his second year as head coach with a current overall record of 22-35.
Up Next
Lindenwood travels to Chicago, Ill., to take on the Loyola Ramblers on April 4.
