West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois University (WIU) Volleyball team concluded the North Dakota Classic with a victory, defeating Belmont in straight sets. The match scores were 25-19, 25-20, and 25-19. Offensively, Brittany Wulf and Elizabeth Ziegler led the Leathernecks with 13 and 12 kills respectively. On defense, Karli Wenzel made a significant contribution with 30 digs.

In the opening set, Belmont initially led 7-3 before WIU responded with a five-point run to take an 8-7 lead. Keyana Cruse contributed two kills during this run while Karli Wenzel added a service ace. The Leathernecks maintained their lead for the rest of the set, winning it by six points at 25-19.

The second set began similarly with WIU trailing Belmont at 7-3. However, WIU managed a three-point run featuring another ace from Karli Wenzel which prompted an early timeout from Belmont. Afterward, Belmont briefly regained momentum but WIU tied the score at nine following another three-point run. A pair of consecutive kills by Brittany Wulf and Elizabeth Ziegler later in the set gave WIU a narrow lead which they extended to six points before closing out the set at 25-20.

In the final set, WIU registered a total of 18 team kills with Elizabeth Ziegler leading by securing seven of them. This performance helped WIU secure the third set with a score of 25-19 and complete their sweep over Belmont.

Looking ahead, the Leathernecks are scheduled to participate in the Charleston Southern tournament on September 20th and September 21st in Charleston, South Carolina. They will face Charleston Southern and Norfolk State on Friday at 11 AM and again at 3:30 PM followed by Sacred Heart on Saturday morning at 10 AM.