West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's volleyball team is set to face Tennessee State in a two-day event on November 10 and 11, marking the final home games for seniors Kennedy Bauer and Annika Black. The matches will take place at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois.

In their last outing, Western Illinois fell twice to SEMO. Despite their efforts, they lost in five sets on Friday night and four sets on Saturday. Keyana Cruse led with 24 kills, while Annika Black and Grace Kremer each recorded ten blocks.

Currently tied with Southern Indiana, SIUE, and UT Martin for sixth place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with a 6-8 record, Western Illinois aims to end a decade-long absence from postseason play this season. The top eight teams qualify for the OVC tournament.

Kennedy Bauer joined WIU in 2022 after transferring from Lincoln Land Community College. Over her two seasons with the team, she has accumulated 144 kills and 20 blocks. Annika Black transferred from Eastern Illinois this season and has made significant defensive contributions with 36 blocks and 52 kills over 17 matches.

Keyana Cruse continues to perform strongly in the OVC rankings. She ranks seventh in kills with 321 and averages 3.41 per set. In total points, she holds seventh place with an average of 3.96 points per set.

Other notable performances include juniors Maggie Craker ranking fifth in assists with 871; Brittany Wulf fourth in service aces with 26; Karli Wenzel sixth in digs with 446; and Julianna Schmidt tenth in total blocks with 90.

Tennessee State enters the weekend's matches holding a record of two wins against twelve losses in OVC play and an overall record of two wins against twenty-two losses. Jayla Holcombe leads Tennessee State's offense with 232 kills.

Kennedy Davis will return to Macomb for the first time since transferring to play against her former team.