Series history: 2nd meeting, Lakeland leads 1-0
The Muskies and Vikings have met just one other time in men's volleyball before today. Lakeland defeated North Park Feb. 14, 2020 in four sets, taking a 25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22 decision in Chicago as Nate Vanderwaal finished with 20 kills and Cameron Ekum piled up 41 assists and 15 digs. Noah Salazar led North Park with 14 kills. The meeting came in North Park's second year of volleyball, one year after their debut as a varsity program in 2019.

About Lakeland: The Muskies are playing for the first time this season, eight days after their originally scheduled season-opening Muskie Open invitational was canceled. The triangular scheduled for today also has been reduced to a single match after Wabash withdrew from the event, leaving Lakeland and North Park to play a single match.

The Muskies finished 3-9 a year ago in a season shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakeland posted a 2-7 record in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, and four of its losses came to nationally ranked teams. Much of that team returns, including super seniors Cam Ekum and Matt Misheck using allotted extra years of eligibility after last season did not count against their eligibility. Ekum holds the Muskies' all-time varsity record for service aces and ranks in the top 10 in kills and digs, and Misheck also is among the program's leaders in kills, digs, aces and blocks. Ben Busalacchi also is back after leading the team in kills and aces a year ago, and in all 13 of the 16 players to appear in a match last season are back again this year for third-year head coach Brian Rushmer, who already has had to deal with the team's last two seasons being shortened by the pandemic.

About North Park: The Vikings also played a shortened schedule last year, though they were able to get in 18 matches and finished 8-10 overall and posted a 4-8 mark to finish fifth of seven teams in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. The eight wins were a sign of progress, the most yet for a young program that just played its first season in 2019. Five of North Park's ten losses came to ranked teams, including three losses to eventual NCAA Division III national champion Carthage.

The Vikings also are playing their season opener and return an experienced team, with four of the team's top five in kills returning plus its setter and co-leaders in blocks. Leading hitter Armando Quinones is not back, but Erik Bullard and Emmanuel Eugene combined for 289 kills and together averaged more than five kills per set. 

Schedule changes already: Along with the cancellation of the Muskie Open and two-thirds of today's originally scheduled triangular, Lakeland also has seen other changes already to its schedule. A match against Adrian (Mich.) next Friday has been canceled, but the Muskies will now face Maranatha Baptist for a doubleheader that night starting at 5 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium. Lakeland also has added a pair of non-conference matches against Wisconsin Lutheran to be played this coming Wednesday at home starting at 6 p.m.