West Central Reporter

The Ohio Valley Conference has announced its preseason rankings for the 2024 volleyball season, with Western Illinois University (WIU) projected to finish ninth among the 11 teams. WIU garnered a total of 74 points, placing them ahead of Little Rock, which received 51 points, and Tennessee State with 29 points.

At the top of the rankings are Southeast Missouri with 167 points, Eastern Illinois with 166 points, Morehead State with 163 points, and Tennessee Tech with 152 points. Lindenwood is predicted to finish fifth with 145 points, followed by Southern Indiana at sixth place with 97 points. UT Martin and SIUE are projected to finish seventh and eighth respectively.

In addition to team rankings, Keyana Cruse from WIU was named to the preseason All-OVC team. Last season, Cruse led her team in kills (403) and total attacks (1,254). She transferred from UNLV and earned a spot on the OVC All-Conference First Team. Cruse was also recognized as OVC Offensive Player of the Week on September 11th, 2023.

Maggie Craker was listed as a player to watch in the upcoming season. She is currently among the top ten all-time for assists in Leatherneck volleyball history. In the previous season, she started all games and led her team in assists (1,073), achieving a personal best of 56 assists against Missouri State on September 15th, 2023.

This year marks WIU's second year in the Ohio Valley Conference after finishing seventh last year. Their first match will be an exhibition game against Quincy University scheduled for August 24th at Western Hall.