West Central Reporter

Macomb, Ill. - The Western Illinois University (WIU) volleyball team is preparing for an important conference matchup against the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in Evansville, Indiana, this weekend. Following a recent sweep over Eastern Illinois, WIU stands at 4-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), holding sixth place.

With eleven games left in the 2024 regular season, WIU has achieved ten wins, marking their most successful season since 2013 when they finished with a 12-18 record. "The Leathernecks will hope to continue to build off the success and make a second straight OVC tournament appearance at the end of November."

Senior Outside Hitter Keyana Cruse has been recognized as the OVC offensive player of the week for her third time this season. She recorded back-to-back double-doubles against Eastern Illinois with 41 kills and 29 digs. "Cruse is the first player in program history to have three offensive player of the week honors in one season."

Southern Indiana trails closely behind WIU with a conference record of 3-4. Last year, they ended their season with an overall record of 15-16 and reached the semifinals in the OVC tournament before being defeated by Eastern Illinois.

Ashby Willis leads USI offensively with 206 kills and an average of 2.82 kills per set. On defense, Keira Moore tops her team with an average of 4.48 digs per set and a total of 327 digs.

Looking ahead, WIU will host UT Martin next weekend at Western Hall where they hold a strong home conference record this season.

For further updates on Leatherneck Volleyball, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.