West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's volleyball team is set to host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) this weekend as they begin their second year in the Ohio Valley Conference. The matches will take place at Western Hall on Friday and Saturday, with start times of 6:00 PM and 12:00 PM respectively.

The Leathernecks are returning home after a successful two-week road trip, during which they won four consecutive matches. This streak includes victories at the UND Classic and the Buc Dome Invitational, where they managed to sweep all opponents in three sets—a feat not achieved since 1992.

Several players have been instrumental in WIU's recent success. Maggie Craker ranks fourth in total assists within the conference, with a tally of 386, and holds second place for assists per set at 9.65. Karli Wenzel leads the OVC in digs per set with an average of 5.38 and has accumulated a total of 215 digs so far this season. Keyana Cruse tops the OVC charts for total kills (187), kills per set (4.68), points (217), and points per set (5.43).

SIUE comes into these conference matches with a record of five wins and six losses, having won four out of their last five games. Last season, WIU defeated SIUE in five sets for their first-ever OVC conference win.

Following this weekend's games against SIUE, WIU will face Lindenwood on October 1st at Western Hall before traveling to Tennessee Tech for matches on October 3rd and 4th.

For more information about Leatherneck Volleyball, fans can visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.