Lael McKee Student Manager | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
Lael McKee Student Manager | Western Illinois University Leathernecks Website
The Western Illinois Volleyball team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Monday night. The Leathernecks faced Southeast Missouri State's Redhawks, pushing the match to five sets before ultimately falling.
In the first set, Western Illinois took an early lead with contributions from Julianna Schmidt and maintained a narrow advantage throughout. Despite a late tie by SEMO, WIU secured the set 25-23 through kills by Schmidt and Brittany Wulf.
Set two saw a tightly contested start, but SEMO gained control with a significant run, eventually taking the set 25-19 despite WIU's late efforts to close the gap.
The Leathernecks bounced back in set three, establishing an early lead that they held onto for a 25-23 win. Keyana Cruse played a pivotal role in maintaining their advantage.
SEMO dominated the fourth set early on and managed to fend off WIU's attempts to catch up, finishing with a 25-19 victory.
In the decisive fifth set, both teams remained even initially until SEMO pulled ahead midway through. Despite efforts from Wulf and Elizabeth Ziegler, WIU could not overcome SEMO's lead, losing 15-10.
Keyana Cruse ended her season with an impressive double-double of 24 kills and 19 digs. Brittany Wulf also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Elizabeth Ziegler contributed ten kills while Karli Wenzel led in digs with 20. Maggie Craker provided significant support with 52 assists.
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