The Week Ahead: November 29-December 5

Lawrence University basketball begins Midwest Conference play this week when the Vikings host Beloit College in a doubleheader at Alexander Gymnasium. Both Lawrence hockey teams take on Aurora University in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association play at the Appleton Ice Center this weekend.


Lawrence (1-3, 0-0 MWC) vs. Beloit (2-4, 0-0 MWC)
When and Where: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium (no visiting fans allowed)  
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/ with Dick Knapinski on the call.
Coaches: Casey Korn (Cornell College 2009) is in his first season at Lawrence. Josh Hinz (Beloit 2007) is in his second season at Beloit and has a record of 10-21 (.323).
Series Record: In a series that stretches all the way back to the winter of 1911-12, Beloit holds a 103-80 advantage over Lawrence. The Vikings have dominated the rivalry over the last 25 years. Lawrence has won 36 of the last 46 games with Beloit dating back to 1996-97. The Vikings have won 29 of 35 since the 2001-02 season.
Lawrence (1-3, 0-0 MWC) at Grinnell (3-5, 0-1 MWC)
When and Where: Saturday, Dec. 4, 1 p.m., Darby Gymnasium, Grinnell, Iowa  
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/ 
Coaches: Casey Korn (Cornell College 2009) is in his first season at Lawrence. David Arseneault Jr. (Grinnell 2009) is in his fourth season at Grinnell and has a record of 49-32 (.605).
Series Record: In a series that dates to 1940, Grinnell leads 58-52 over Lawrence. The Vikings are 20-21 against the Pioneers since Grinnell began playing its "system" in the 1990s. 
Fast Facts: Due to the postponement of Lawrence's game with Lakeland, the Vikings are in the middle of a 14-day break between games. Lawrence hasn't played since an 80-74 loss to No. 17 UW-Oshkosh on Nov. 17. ... Senior guard Brad Sendell leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game and is averaging 4.3 assists per contact. Sendell now has 1,109 points for his career and that places him 16th on Lawrence's career list. He is just nine points away from passing Shawn Koerner (1,115) and John Dekker (1,117) to move into 14th place. ... The Vikings have seen some balance in their scoring with Kyle Lillwitz at 12.5 points per game, Adnan Sarancic at 10.8 and Matthew Kaznikov at 9.3. ... The Vikings are looking for the return of senior guard Brandon Danowski, who scored 19 points in the season opener but has been sidelined by injury since.


Lawrence (2-3, 0-0 MWC) vs. Beloit (3-4, 0-0 MWC) 
When and Where: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m., Alexander Gymnasium (no visiting fans allowed)
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/ with Dick Knapinski on the call.
Coaches: Riley Woldt (UW-Green Bay 1997) is in his third season at Lawrence and has a record of 14-40 (.259). Gloria Bradley (Seton Hall 1984) is in her fifth season at Beloit and has a record of 24-80 (.231). She is in her 23rd season overall with a record of 264-321 (.451).
Series Record: In a series that started in the 1977-78 season, Beloit has a 41-31 edge over Lawrence. The teams have split the last six meetings.
Lawrence (2-3, 0-0 MWC) at Grinnell (3-4, 0-0 MWC) 
When and Where: Saturday, Dec. 4, 3 p.m., Darby Gymnasium, Grinnell, Iowa
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/
Coaches: Riley Woldt (UW-Green Bay 1997) is in his third season at Lawrence and has a record of 14-40 (.259). Dana Harrold (Dubuque) is in her eighth season at Grinnell and has a record of 71-102 (.410).
Series Record: In a series that started in the 1989-90 season, Grinnell has a 24-19 lead over Lawrence. The teams split the last two meetings in the 2019-20 season.
Fast Facts: Junior guard Ashley Batac scored a career-high 16 points against Lakeland this past Saturday. Batac had set her scoring high earlier this season when she scored 13 in a win over Rockford. Batac drained four 3-pointers against Lakeland and leads the team with 10 triples this season. Batac pushed her scoring average on the season to 10.0 points per game. ... Senior forward Kenya Earl posted her 18th career double-double when she scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Lakeland. Earl leads the team at 16.0 points per game and rebounding at 8.8 per contest. Earl now has 1,360 career points and is just 128 points away from breaking the Lawrence scoring record of 1,487 held by Hall of Famer Claire Getzoff.  


Lawrence (0-7-0, 0-2-0 NCHA) vs. Aurora (6-2-0, 2-2-0 NCHA)
When and Where: Friday, Dec. 3, 3 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 4, 1 p.m. Appleton Family Ice Center (no visiting fans allowed)
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/ 
Coaches: Jocey Kleiber (Niagara 2012) is in her second season at Lawrence. Jackie Kooistra (New Hampshire) is in her third season at Aurora with a record of 29-19-1 (.602).
Series Record: This is the first meeting between the teams.
Fast Facts: The Vikings are playing their final two games before taking off nearly all of the rest of the month of December. Lawrence returns on New Year's Eve when the Vikings host UW-Stevens Point in a nonconference game. ... All three of Lawrence's goaltenders have seen action this season, and Sydney Seeley leads the squad with an .871 save percentage. 


Lawrence (3-4-1, 1-3-0 NCHA) vs. No. 7 Aurora (8-0-0, 4-0-0 NCHA)
When and Where: Friday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m., Appleton Family Ice Center (no visiting fans allowed)
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lawrence/ 
Coaches: Mike Szkodzinski (St. Norbert 2000) is in his 16th season at Lawrence and has a record of 140-224-32 (.394). Jason Bloomingburg (Wayne State) is in his sixth season at Aurora and has a record of 46-63-14 (.431).
Series Record: Lawrence holds a 6-3-1 advantage over Aurora in a series that started in the 2015-16 season. The teams split the series in the 2019-20 season.
Fast Facts: Through eight games, the Vikings have 16 players with at least one point and 12 have at least three points. ... Forward Zack Olen leads the team with 10 points and has team highs of four goals and six assists. ... Goaltenders Alex Mosquera and Brian Tallieu have seen nearly all the action in net this season. Mosquera has a .916 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average, and Tallieu is at .922 with a 2.52 GAA.


Pioneer Classic
When and Where: Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, Osgood Natatorium, Grinnell, Iowa
Webcast: https://pioneers.grinnell.edu/coverage 
Coaches: Drew Fleek (South Dakota 2003) is in his 14th season at Lawrence.
Fast Facts: Lawrence is getting in its last swims before breaking for the holidays, and the Vikings will face some stiff competition at the Pioneer Classic. ... Senior diver Maddy Smith is unbeaten on the 3-meter board this season and has won all but one event on the 1-meter board this season.