West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's women's volleyball team is set to play a two-match series against Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri at Hyland Arena on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1. The Leathernecks currently hold a record of 7-16 overall and are 4-6 in Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) play. Lindenwood enters the matchup with an 8-10 overall record and an identical conference mark.

The Leathernecks are coming off consecutive wins over Tennessee State at Western Hall. In the first match, they secured a five-set victory led by Hillary Estes with 15 kills and five blocks, while Keyana Cruse contributed 13 kills and 16 digs. The following day, Western Illinois swept Tennessee State in straight sets, hitting .330 as a team and recording 11 total blocks. Estes had eight kills and eight blocks in that match; Cruse added eight kills and matched her previous performance with another 16 digs. Karlie Lane tallied four service aces and twelve digs over the weekend. Setters Madelyn Norton and Jaleah Bauss combined for 31 assists during the two matches.

Freshman setter Jaleah Bauss has gained national attention by ranking 60th in NCAA aces per set this season. Graduate outside hitter Keyana Cruse reached career milestones earlier this year by surpassing both the 1,000 career kills mark at the Billiken Invitational and the 1,000 career digs mark during a home game against Tennessee Tech.

Lindenwood's team is coached by Will Condon, now in his ninth season leading the program. Last season, Lindenwood finished with a record of 23-11 overall and went 14-4 in conference games. The Lions return several players from last year's squad as they aim to maintain their position within the OVC.

In previous meetings between these teams, Western Illinois lost both matches to Lindenwood with scores of 3-2 and 3-1.

Statistical leaders for Western Illinois this season include Keyana Cruse with a team-high of 307 kills and also leading with 330 digs; Jaleah Bauss leads in assists (298) and aces (32); Grace Kremer leads in total blocks with eighty-four.

After facing Lindenwood, Western Illinois will host Little Rock on November 6–7 before traveling to SEMO for matches on November 13–14.

For further information about Leatherneck Volleyball or updates on upcoming matches, fans can visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow the team's social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or Facebook.