complete game notes in .pdf format

Storyline
The Lindenwood men's volleyball team concludes its 2012 season with three matches in April against members of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).

The final stretch of contests begin this Wednesday with a match at nationally-ranked Loyola-Chicago. Lindenwood's final home match will be on April 14 against Ball State. The season then concludes a day later at Quincy.

Last Time Out
Lindenwood went 2-3 last week during its Spring Break trip out west. The Lions lost to Hope International, and split series with California Baptist and Grand Canyon.

The trip started bad with back-to-back losses to Hope International and California Baptist. The team's fortunes changed though after a come-from-behind 30-28 win over California Baptist in the first set of the rematch. Lindenwood ended up sweeping that match. After falling to Grand Canyon in their first match, the Lions recovered for a 3-1 win in the final contest on the road trip.

Lion Seniors
Jack Mitchell and JM Plummer will be playing their final home match at Hyland Arena on April 14 against Ball State.

Mitchell leads the team this season with 330 kills and 388.5 points, is second with 87 blocks, and third with 151 digs.

Plummer is tied for third on the squad with 162 kills, fourth with 181.0 points, and is fifth with 141 digs. He has also recorded 26 blocks in 2012.

Career Lists
Jack Mitchell is approaching the top-10 list for kills. He needs 11 kills over the last three matches to become tenth on the list, and is 21 kills away from becoming the ninth Lion with at least 700 kills in his career.

Mitchell enters play this week with 234 career blocks, which ranks eighth all-time. He is also in the top-10 in block assists and needs one solo block to enter the top-10 in that category.

JM Plummer currently has 589 digs, which ranks seventh in Lindenwood history. He also has 577 career kills and is the third person in Lindenwood history to record over 500 career kills and digs.

Schedule Breakdown
During its transition season to the next level, the men's volleyball team is 7-7 against NCAA Division I and II programs. The Lions are 4-2 against NCAA Division III squads and 6-3 against NAIA teams.

Vs. MIVA
Lindenwood is 1-5 against members of the MIVA this season. The Lions split two matches with Grand Canyon, have lost twice against Lewis, and lost once to Ball State and Quincy.

All-Time Series
Lindenwood is 0-7 all-time against Loyola. Three of the meetings were 3-0 sweeps, and the other four were decided in four sets. In 2011, Loyola won by scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-13, and 25-21.

Lindenwood is 0-4 all-time against Ball State, including a 3-1 loss earlier this season. The first three meetings had a final score of 3-0.

Lindenwood is 13-6 all-time against Quincy, including a 3-2 loss earlier this year. The Lions have lost just twice in the last 15 matches.

Earlier This Season
Lindenwood fell to Ball State by scores of 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, and 25-13. The Lions were outblocked 13.5-4.0 which was the big difference in the match. Jack Mitchell led Lindenwood with 15 kills.

The Lions lost to Quincy by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 18-25, and 15-12. Mitchell had a team-high 15 kills, and Michael Adams recorded a double-double of 13 kills and 14 digs.

About the Ramblers
Loyola enters the Lindenwood match with a 16-11 record and it is ranked No. 15 in the latest NCAA Division I-II poll. The squad is one match out of first in the MIVA in the loss column.

The duo of Joseph Smalzer and Mike Bunting both average over three kills a set. Matt Mirick averages 10.87 assists a set, Cody Caldwell has a 1.62 dig average, and Eric Daliege averages 1.01 blocks a set.

Head coach of Loyola is Shane Davis. He is in his ninth season and has a 183-74 career record.

About the Cardinals
Ball State is currently 12-8 and receiving votes in the national poll. The Cardinals are 4-5 in conference play.

Larry Wrather leads the team with 180 kills and Kevin Owens is hitting over .400 for the season. Other team leaders are Graham McIlvaine with 519 assists, Tommy Rouse with 175 digs, and Matt Leske with 92 blocks.

Joel Walton is head coach and he has a career record of 261-144 in 14 seasons.

About the Hawks
Quincy is currently 17-11 overall and 1-9 in MIVA play. Its lone conference win was over defending champion Ohio State.

Three players, Ryan Lehmann, Joe Sokol, and Joe Ascher, have over 200 kills. Andrew Ouano averages 10.79 assists, Brian Peth averages 2.16 digs, and Steven Battaglia averages 0.89 blocks.

Hadley Foster is in his sixth season at Quincy and he has a 93-127 mark at the school.