West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University Leathernecks women's volleyball team is set to host the Tennessee State Tigers for a two-match series at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois. The matches are scheduled for Friday, October 24 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, October 25 at 4 p.m.

The Leathernecks currently hold a record of 5-16 overall and 2-6 in Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) play. In their most recent outing, Western Illinois lost in four sets to Eastern Illinois. Keyana Cruse led the team with 17 kills and 19 digs, marking her fifth double-double of the season. Elizabeth Ziegler contributed 11 kills, while Grace Kremer recorded five kills with a .500 hitting percentage. Setters Madelyn Norton and Alysia Perez combined for a total of 36 assists, and libero Karlie Lane registered a team-high 22 digs.

Freshman setter Jaleah Bauss has received national attention by ranking 39th in NCAA aces per set. Graduate outside hitter Keyana Cruse recently surpassed both the 1,000 career kills milestone during the Billiken Invitational and reached her 1,000th career dig at home against Tennessee Tech.

Tennessee State enters the series under head coach Donila Sutton, who is in her ninth season with the program. The Tigers finished last season with an overall record of 10-22 and went 6-12 in conference play. The team features several returning players along with new additions as they aim to improve their standing in the OVC this year.

In previous meetings between these teams, Western Illinois won one match against Tennessee State by a score of 3-1 but also lost another match narrowly at 2-3.

Statistical leaders for Western Illinois this season include Keyana Cruse with a team-leading 286 kills and 279 digs, Jaleah Bauss leading in assists (272) and aces (31), and Grace Kremer topping block totals with 77 blocks.

Following this weekend's matches against Tennessee State, Western Illinois will travel to face Lindenwood on October 31-November 1 before returning home to host Little Rock on November 6-7.

For more information about Leatherneck Volleyball or updates on upcoming games, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.