Match 12
#11 Lindenwood (9-2, 3-1 MIVA)
vs. #12 McKendree (6-6, 1-3 MIVA)
Match Information:
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
First Serve: 6:00 PM CT 
All-Time Series: 8-15 
Last Meeting: L, 2-3 
Live Stats: Lindenwood vs McKendree
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out
Lindenwood split their first MIVA road trip of the season by sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne and falling at #9 Ball State. Brendan Louthain and Caden Whiteside led the Lions offensively in the sweep over PFW as they both recorded 10 kills to tie for the match-high. The Lions hit .329 for the match and were led in hitting percentage by Amir Grant, who had 6 kills on seven attacks for a hitting percentage of .857. In the following match at #9 Ball State, Luke Kraft picked up nine kills in the opening set to give the Lions a 1-0 advantage, but the Cardinals won the next three sets to hand the Lions their first loss in over a month. Despite the loss, Lindenwood moved up to #11 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Polls, which is their highest ranking in program history and have been ranked for five straight weeks. 
 
Scouting The Bearcats
McKendree is 1-3 in the MIVA through their first four matches played with their lone win coming against #11 Lewis in three sets. The Bearcats are led offensively by Redshirt Senior Outside Hitter Sam Hoskin who has 149 kills on the season and is averaging 3.47 kills/set. Hoskin is followed by Senior Opposite Hitter Bryce Wetjen who has 120 kills, averaging 2.79 kills/set. Hoskin has recorded 10 or more kills in each MIVA match played in 2026, while Wetjen has seven matches this season in which he has had over 10 kills. Defensively, Middle Blocker Rolen Lively leads McKendree with 46 blocks and has registered seven or more blocks in three matches played this season.  
 
Stats to Know

• Caden Whiteside ranks fourth in the MIVA during conference play with a hitting percentage of .324.
• Brendan Louthain is second in the MIVA in kills during MIVA matches with 48.
• Zach Solomon leads the MIVA with seven service aces during conference play, while Owen Walsh and Luke Kraft rank tied for second with six. 
• Solomon is third in the country in aces per set averaging .71 aces per set in 2026.  

Up Next
Lindenwood will hit the road for two straight matches at Fort Valley State next Friday and Saturday. First serve from Fort Valley, GA is set for 5 p.m. CT for both matches.