MACOMB, Ill. - Senior Monique Houston recorded a .433 hitting percentage with 15 kills and nine assists as Western Illinois snapped a five-match losing streak with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-19) win over South Dakota State, Saturday.

"From a senior perspective, not just for them as seniors, but for the team to play as well for the last home game of the season should leave a positive perspective on the fans," Western Illinois head coach Kym McKay said. "We left it all out on the floor, we played hard and with confidence. We controlled the mental, physical and emotional aspects of the match."

The Westerwinds (8-19, 4-8 The Summit League) out-killed the Jackrabbits (7-16, 5-7 The Summit League) 45-29 and maintained a team hitting percentage at or over .200 for the entire match, while holding SDSU to a team percentage of .088 or under.

In sets two and three, the teams traded the lead a total of six times with Western finishing on top. In the final set, the Westerwinds took an early 6-0 lead and never let up as the closest the Jackrabbits came was within three points at 20-17.

As a team, Western Illinois put up one more block to South Dakota State (9-8) and six less errors (14-20). Individually, freshman Megan Toczek was just behind Houston in kills with 11. Sarah Trimpe recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 10 digs. Leading in digs was Elise Crnjak with 16 and Ellen Miller had 10. Freshman Cait Egan led Western in blocks, earning two solo and getting a piece of four others. Miller, Trimpe and Erin Frick each recorded a service ace for Western.

"We did a great job in serve receive," McKay said. "Elise, Ellen and Lindsay (Muehlbauer) had great nights and with them passing so well, we were able to run our offense how we wanted to and the hitters stepped up. We played a well-rounded match and executed in every aspect of the game."

The match concludes the home portion of the 2008 schedule. Western Illinois will hit the road for four final Summit League matches in hopes of landing a top-four spot at The Summit League Tournament. The Westerwinds face Centenary in Shreveport, La., November 7 at 7 p.m. and will close out the weekend play at UMKC, November 9.