West Central Reporter

WIU volleyball secured their sixth consecutive victory by defeating UT Martin in three straight sets, maintaining their position among the top four in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 8-3 record. The Leathernecks' offense was spearheaded by Keyana Cruse, who achieved a match-high of 16 kills with a .324 hitting percentage. Maggie Craker contributed with a match-high of 30 assists, while Julianna Schmidt led defensively with eight blocks.

The first set saw UT Martin initially leading with a 6-3 run. However, WIU responded robustly with a 6-2 run to take the lead at 9-8. During this period, they executed three blocks and received kills from Keyana Cruse and Brittany Wulf. Although UT Martin countered with an 8-4 run to regain the lead at 16-13, WIU ultimately claimed the set at 26-24 following a decisive 9-3 run.

In the second set, despite UT Martin's early advantage of 6-2, WIU mounted another significant comeback with a 9-2 run to seize control at 11-8. Highlighting this sequence were two kills from Keyana Cruse and one from Brittany Wulf. A subsequent kill by Wulf initiated a quick 3-0 surge that secured WIU's lead at 14-11, culminating in a set win of 25-19.

The third set was dominated by WIU as they established an early lead of 12-5 through contributions from Brittany Wulf, Keyana Cruse, and Julianna Schmidt. Both Wulf and Cruse delivered consecutive kills later in the set to clinch victory at 25-16.

Looking ahead, WIU will face Little Rock next Friday and Saturday in Arkansas. These matches are crucial as Little Rock currently ranks above them in conference standings. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.

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