West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University is preparing for a week of volleyball matches, starting with a game against Chicago State on Tuesday, October 17, and followed by matches against Southern Indiana on Friday and Saturday in Macomb, Illinois.

The Leathernecks recently concluded their second-weekend road trip in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), where they split their matches with UT Martin. They secured a straight-set victory on Friday but lost in four sets on Saturday. Keyana Cruse and Julianna Schmidt were standout players, each recording over 20 kills.

Currently, Western Illinois holds a 5-3 record in conference play, tying them for third place in the league. Southern Indiana has a 5-5 record and is positioned fifth.

Julianna Schmidt and Grace Kremer were pivotal in blocking against UT Martin, helping the Leathernecks achieve a 26-11 block advantage. Together, they contributed 22 total blocks.

Karli Wenzel achieved a milestone by entering the top ten for all-time career digs at Western Illinois. She now has 1,229 career digs and is close to surpassing Ellen Miller for ninth place on the list.

Keyana Cruse has been instrumental in leading Western Illinois offensively this season. She ranks fourth in the OVC for kills per set with an average of 3.37.

Chicago State will face Western Illinois for the second time this season after defeating them 3-0 earlier this month. Yanlis Feliz led Chicago State with 11 kills during that match. The Cougars have not played since then and currently hold a 9-5 overall record.

Southern Indiana approaches the weekend following three consecutive losses to Morehead State, including straight sets on Friday and five sets on Saturday.