MACOMB, Ill. - Sophomore Ashley Baker (Fort Wayne, Ind./Effingham [Ill.]) hit a match-high .394 and tallied a team-high 16 kills, but it wasn?t enough for the Western Illinois volleyball team to collect its second win of the season against Oral Roberts as the Golden Eagles defeated Western 3-1 (24-30, 30-20, 27-30, 24-30). Western?s 8-3 Mid-Con record ranks them third in the league behind first-place Valparaiso (10-1) and second-place Oral Roberts (9-1). IUPUI holds fourth-place with a 5-5 Mid-Con record.Western (14-11, 8-3 Mid-Con) and Oral Roberts fought competitively throughout the first half of game one before the Golden Eagles pulled ahead to a six-point lead at 24-18. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the game, but Western?s six-point deficit remained unchanged with a 30-24 outcome.Western Illinois regrouped after the opener and pulled ahead to a dominating 18-8 lead in game two. Junior Jennifer Alexander (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) and freshman Sarah Trimpe (Normal, Ill./Community) rattled off five-point Western rallies from behind the line to give Western its biggest lead of the night, and the Purple and Gold claimed the largest win-margin of the match with a 30-20 victory.The Golden Eagles (17-8, 9-1 Mid-Con) took a 17-6 lead in game three, but Western came within three before Oral Roberts closed the game at 30-27. ORU?s Ori Zuzic posted three of her five aces in the game while leading Oral Roberts on a 8-0 rally, but Western closed the gap to two points under strong offensive performances by Baker and senior Jenna Yurs (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards/Elgin C.C.).Oral Roberts claimed the fourth game 30-24 for its eighth-consecutive Mid-Con victory while holding Western to a match-low .020 hitting percentage. Western and ORU each recorded 13 kills in the final game, but Western?s 12 errors on 49 attempts gave ORU the advantage as it totalled five errors on 41 attempts.Sophomore Amy Sauerwein and Yurs each notched 14 kills in Western?s effort, and Sauerwein added 18 digs and Yurs posted nine blocks. Baker tied Zuzic for a match-high five aces and added four blocks, and Trimpe collected a match-high 30 assists. Freshman Monique Houston (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) led Western?s defense with 20 digs.Zuzic led Oral Roberts with a match-high 19 kills and 15 digs. Maja Devic and Jaqueline Oliveria also had double-digit kills for the Golden Eagles with 11 and 10, respectively. Cris Alves collected a match-high 32 digs, and Kim Snow added eight blocks.?Overall, the match was very balanced from a statistical stance,? said Western Illinois head coach Kym McKay. ?The scores don?t necessarily reflect that because of our timing on several crucial kills and errors. This match was the exact opposite from our win at Oral Roberts because our kills and errors came at key times in that match when theirs didn?t, and tonight, that was reversed. It just came down to the timing of things in both of these matches.??This match was all about mental toughness, and that?s always how the second round of conference play is. Unfortunately, things just didn?t go our way tonight, and we?re going to get back to work tomorrow at practice because we?re not happy,? McKay added.Western will wrapup its three-match homestand Tuesday night with non-conference opponent Bradley. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Western Hall.