West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University’s women’s volleyball team was defeated by Little Rock in a four-set match at Western Hall on Friday. The Leathernecks displayed balanced offense and strong defense but ultimately lost 3-1.

In the opening set, Little Rock established an early lead, going up 18-7 before Western Illinois responded with a late surge led by Keyana Cruse and freshman Elizabeth Ziegler. Despite narrowing the gap, the Trojans won the first set 25-19.

The second set was closely contested with several lead changes. Cruse and Kennedy Adair contributed timely kills for Western Illinois, while defensive efforts forced errors from Little Rock. The Leathernecks came within one point late in the set, but back-to-back kills from Crismeyli Rodriguez secured a 25-21 win for Little Rock.

Western Illinois took control in the third set, hitting .206 as a team compared to Little Rock’s .143. Cruse led offensively, supported by Hillary Estes and Adair during a key run. Freshman Madelyn Norton added four kills off the bench, and Grace Kremer closed out the set with a kill to give Western Illinois a 25-21 victory.

Little Rock started quickly in the fourth set with a 10-4 lead. The Leathernecks rallied behind Ziegler’s late kills and steady play from Cruse and Karlie Lane to tie it at 22-22. However, Little Rock finished with three consecutive points to win the final set 25-22 and take the match.

Cruse led Western Illinois with 19 kills and 27 digs. Adair had six kills and two blocks; Ziegler posted 12 kills on .310 hitting; Lane recorded 15 digs as libero. As a team, WIU registered eight blocks and hit .189 overall.

For more information about Leatherneck Volleyball or updates on matches, visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow their social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.