West Central Reporter

The Leatherneck Volleyball team emerged victorious in both matches on the first day of the Buc Dome Invitational, held in Charleston, SC. The team secured straight-set wins against Charleston Southern and Norfolk State.

Keyana Cruse delivered an impressive performance with a match-high 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .417 against Charleston Southern. Brittany Wulf contributed nine kills and a service ace. Maggie Craker led with 28 assists, while Karli Wenzel had 15 digs in the same match.

In their second match against Norfolk State, Cruse recorded 15 kills and Wulf added 14. Grace Kremer was notable defensively with five blocks.

The first set against Charleston Southern saw Brittany Wulf starting strong with a service ace, leading to an early advantage for the Leathernecks. Despite a brief comeback attempt by Charleston Southern, WIU maintained control to win the set 25-18.

In the second set, WIU again established an early lead. Despite some resistance from Charleston Southern, back-to-back kills by Karli Wenzel and Keyana Cruse helped secure a 25-16 victory.

The third set began with WIU taking a significant lead thanks to consecutive plays by Grace Kremer and Karli Wenzel. Although Charleston Southern made several attempts to close the gap, WIU held firm for a 25-22 win.

Against Norfolk State, the Leathernecks faced more competition but managed to claim victory in three sets. The first set ended closely at 26-24 after both teams exchanged points evenly towards the end.

WIU dominated the second set from start to finish, ending it at 25-17 following multiple successful plays by Elizabeth Ziegler and Brittany Wulf.

In the final set against Norfolk State, despite several tied scores throughout, WIU pulled ahead decisively towards the end to conclude with another win.

Now holding a season record of 5-5, the Leathernecks are scheduled to play Sacred Heart tomorrow morning for their last non-conference game this year.