The inaugural Benedictine University men's volleyball season is in full swing, as the Eagles will begin Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League play on Saturday. BenU heads north to Kenosha, Wisconsin to take on Carthage College for a 1:00 p.m. match.
 
After three matches in three days from January 21-23, the Eagles competed just once last week. BenU (2-4) fell to top-ranked Juniata College 3-1 in a neutral site game at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. After Juniata took the first set 25-20, the Eagles won a back-and-forth second set 31-29 on an ace from Jake Moran. Juniata responded with 25-22, 25-16 victories in set three and four to win the match. Sterling Glover (20) and Moran (12) each recorded double-digit kill totals, while Markus Riemer added 46 assists.
 
Benedictine's first-ever conference match will be a test, as Carthage (2-2) will be BenU's second consecutive ranked opponent. Picked to win the conference in the MCVL preseason poll, the Red Men are currently ranked fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Carthage is traditionally a strong program, as the team has qualified for two of the last three NCAA Division III Tournaments and lost less than 10 games in each of the past three seasons. In 2012, Carthage advanced all the way to the NCAA Division III Championship, falling to Springfield College.
 
This season, the Red Men have already suffered two defeats. However, those losses came to the hands of two tough opponents: Lewis University (who is currently ranked third in the AVCA poll for Division I-II teams) and top-ranked Juniata. The loss to Juniata came in five sets, as Carthage led the match 2-1 before dropping sets four and five. Carthage has defeated Trinity International University and Hannibal-Lagrange University for its two victories, both coming in straight sets.