West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's women's volleyball team played two matches on Friday at the Meeks Family Fieldhouse during the Evansville Tournament, facing Morehead State and host Evansville. The Leathernecks dropped both matches, bringing their season record to 1-7.

In the first match against Morehead State, Western Illinois lost in four sets. After dropping the opening set 25-15, the Leathernecks responded with a strong second set win, 25-17. Elizabeth Ziegler led the offense with nine kills, while Grace Kremer and Keyana Cruse combined for eight blocks on defense. Despite these efforts, Morehead State won the third and fourth sets. Hillary Estes contributed four kills on seven swings (.571) and added four service aces. Cruse had a notable performance with 11 kills and 11 digs, and setter Madelyn Norton provided 15 assists. The Eagles finished with a .241 hitting percentage compared to WIU's total of 37 kills and 51 digs.

In the evening match against Evansville, Western Illinois took an early lead by winning the first set 27-25 behind Keyana Cruse's offensive showing. Cruse ended with a team-high 18 kills at a .362 hitting percentage and added 16 digs for a double-double. Evansville came back to win the next two sets as WIU managed only 17 combined kills in those frames. The Leathernecks forced a fifth set after taking the fourth set 25-19, helped by Kennedy Adair’s ten kills and nine digs. However, Evansville secured victory in the final set with a .381 hitting percentage.

Defensively, Karlie Lane recorded 20 digs from her libero position. Kremer and Estes combined for ten blocks as WIU out-blocked Evansville by a margin of 13-11.

The Leathernecks will conclude play at the Evansville Tournament on Saturday when they face UAB.