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Storyline
The Lindenwood men's volleyball team will be playing away from Hyland Arena for over a month starting this week. The 11-match stretch begins with a road contest at Hannibal-LaGrange and a neutral site match against Carthage.

Lindenwood begins the road trip with a 12-7 record. The Lions went 3-1 last week at the 2012 Lindenwood Classic.

The Lions face two very different opponents this week. Hannibal-LaGrange is having a rough 2012 season with just one victory. Carthage, meanwhile, is one of the top teams at the NCAA Division III level.

Last Time Out
Lindenwood opened up the Lindenwood Classic with a 3-1 loss against California Baptist. The Lions couldn't control the Lancers offense as they hit .370 for the match.

The Lions bounced back with a 3-0 victory over King on Friday night. Lindenwood had double-figure blocks for the sixth time in the win.

On Saturday, Lindenwood defeated Limestone for the second time in 2012 by a 3-1 margin. The Lions set a season-high in digs and had four players in double-figure points.

The tournament ended with a 3-0 win over Pfeiffer. The Lions had one of their best matches of the year, including hitting .500 and holding Pfeiffer to just a .060 mark.

News in the Middle
Lindenwood's middle hitters combined for 47 kills and 28 blocks last weekend, and the pair hit .443 for the tournament.

Logan Jarus hit .563 for the week and made just two attack errors in 48 attempts. He also had 16 blocks, including four solos.

Evan Bruton filled in all weekend for an injured Scott Siwicki. He recorded 18 kills and 12 blocks. His most impressive offensive performance was against Pfeiffer when he was seven-for-seven on hitting attacks.

Poole at Libero Spot
Another Lion that had success filling in for an injured regular was David Poole. Poole replaced Cory Buehler early in the tournament and averaged nearly three digs a set for the weekend.

Poole's 17 digs against Limestone tied the most for a Lion in 2012.

Setting the Ball
Tim Schmidt averaged at least 10 assists a set in all four matches last week. His top match was against Limestone when he recorded a season-high 49 assists. For the week, he averaged 10.6 assists a set and Lindenwood recorded kills on 46.2 percent of his sets.

On the season, Schmidt is averaging 10 assists a set and he has a 44.6 percent setting percentage.

Serve Receive
Lindenwood has allowed 43 service aces this season, including just three during last week's tournament. Over the last nine games, the team has allowed more than two aces in just one match.

Among the top three players with the most serve receives, JM Plummer leads the Lions by successfully passing 98.2 percent of the time.

On the Defense
Lindenwood's defense has been the key to most of its wins this season. The Lions are 12-1 when holding opposing teams below a .250 hitting percentage, and 0-6 when allowing teams to hit above that mark.

All-Time Series
Lindenwood is 8-0 all-time against Hannibal-LaGrange. The Lions have dropped just one set in those eight matches. Last year, Lindenwood swept the Trojans twice.

Lindenwood is 5-1 all-time against Carthage, with the lone loss coming earlier this season. In the five victories, three have been by sweeps and two went five sets.

Earlier This Season
Lindenwood was swept by Carthage in a match earlier this season in Wisconsin. The Red Men hit .327, while Lindenwood hit just .167. The Lions did not have a service ace and collected 13 serving errors.

Logan Jarus, JM Plummer, and Jack Mitchell all had eight kills. Cory Buehler recorded 17 digs, Jarus had three blocks, and Tim Schmidt had 31 assists.

About the Trojans
Hannibal-LaGrange is 1-23 on the season and has lost 22 straight matches. The Trojans are hitting just .149, while opposing teams are hitting .278.

Nearly 40 percent of the team's kills have come from Jake Wollenberg. Wollenberg averages 4.45 kills a set.Ryan Rams leads the team in assists with 414, an average of 5.59 a set. Benji Sommariba has a team-high 2.68 dig average, and Ryan Quinley is the top blocker with 1.21 blocks a set.

Jade Brubaker is the head coach of the Trojans and is in his first season.

About the Red Men
Carthage is 11-3 on the season and ranked among the top teams at the NCAA Division III level. The team will have four opportunities to add to their win total before facing the Lions.

The Red Men are hitting .314 for the season and holding opponents below .200. The team is averaging 10.5 digs and 2.8 blocks a set.

Randy Hansen leads the team with 4.29 kills and 1.90 digs a set, and he is hitting .387. Connor Wexter is the team's setter and he averages 10.88 assists a set. The top blocker is Tyler Frings, who averages 1.38 blocks a set.

Head coach of Carthage is L.J. Marx. He is in his eighth season there and has a career record of 135-96.

Up Next
Lindenwood's road trip continues next week with matches at Fontbonne, Saint Xavier, and Lewis.