MACOMB, Ill. - Senior Ashley Baker tallied a team-high 17 kills and recorded a season-high .571 (17k-1e-28ta) hitting percentage in the Western Illinois volleyball team's 3-0 (30-16, 30-26, 30-18) victory over UMKC.

"I was glad to see us win in three," said head coach Kym McKay. " It was a goal because we went to five with them on the road and because UMKC always fights hard no matter what the score is."

Western started out game one with a 4-0 run before the Kangaroos (5-19, 2-7 Summit League) got on the board. The three-point deficit was the closest that UMKC got to Western throughout the rest of the game. The Westerwinds used strong hitting to control the tempo of the game and come away with the victory. In the first game Western hit .390 (19k-3e-40ta) to the Kangaroos .085 (11k7e-47ta).

Game two was a back and forth battle as the Westerwinds took an early 4-1 lead but UMKC fought back to keep the game within three points and eventually tie the game at 10. Both teams then battled for the lead until Baker broke a 25-all tie and then recorded one of her two service aces in the match to put Western ahead for good.

The third game started out close before Baker pushed the Westerwinds out to a 13-5 advantage with eight-straight serves. The Kangaroos battled back within in four points (15-11), but Western pulled back out to a seven point lead at 18-11 and never let UMKC get any closer.

For the fourth-straight match the Westerwinds continued to improve their season hitting percentage by hitting above their season average. Western had a .190 hitting average heading into tonight's match and recorded a .284 (56k-14e-148ta) hitting percentage against the Kangaroos.

"We wanted to be very efficient tonight since we are going on the road tomorrow," McKay said. "We had three subs in the back row tonight to allow some players to rest a little bit and I liked how Ellen [Miller], Elise [Crnjak], and Emily [Harrison] contributed."

Western will now return to the road for the first time in three weeks when it faces IUPUI, Saturday, October 20 at 6 p.m. in Indianapolis. The match is part of Dig For the Cure, a national fundraising event for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Notes: This match was the last of six-straight matches in Macomb...the Westerwinds finished the stretch with a 4-2 mark...senior Amy Sauerwein recorded her ninth double-double of the season (16k-19d) and junior Sarah Trimpe tallied her team-high 11th with 45 assists and 13 digs...sophomore Erin Frick tallied a season-high .467 (7k-0e-15ta) hitting percentage... the Westerwinds (9-12, 6-3 The Summit League) moved into a tie for fourth place in The Summit League standings with North Dakota State with the victory.