West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's women's volleyball team lost 3–1 to Lindenwood on Friday evening in Macomb. The Leathernecks posted a .194 hitting percentage and tallied 11 blocks during the match.

In the first set, Western Illinois kept pace early, with Kennedy Adair and Keyana Cruse contributing offensively. A block from Grace Kremer and Elizabeth Ziegler narrowed the gap midway through, but Lindenwood gained momentum late and won the set 25–18.

The second set also began closely, with Ziegler and Adair providing kills for the Leathernecks. However, a strong service run by Lindenwood put Western Illinois out of system on several rallies. Libero Keyana Cruse made key defensive plays but could not prevent Lindenwood from taking the set 25–15.

Western Illinois responded in the third set with its strongest performance of the night. Adair led offensively, while Kremer and Ziegler contributed critical blocks. Setter Jaleah Bauss distributed sets effectively, and Cruse made important digs during long rallies. After multiple set points for both teams, Western Illinois won the third set 30–28.

The fourth set remained close throughout. Adair continued to lead in kills and Kremer added key plays at the net. Despite strong serving and defense from Western Illinois, Lindenwood managed to secure enough points late to win 25–23 and take the match.

Kennedy Adair finished with 15 kills on a .245 hitting percentage. Keyana Cruse recorded 26 digs along with 11 kills. As a team, Western Illinois had 59 digs and 11 total blocks, with contributions from Kremer, Ziegler, and Hillary Estes.

Western Illinois will play Lindenwood again on November 1 before hosting Little Rock Trojans on November 6-7.

"For all the latest information on the Leatherneck Volleyball team, please visit GoLeathernecks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Leathernecks on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook."