CHICAGO, Ill. - The Western Illinois volleyball team had a .407 overall hitting percentage with 43 kills, 39 assists and only six errors in a 3-0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-16) sweep of Chicago State, Tuesday.

"Chicago State improved their defense from the last time that we played," Western Illinois head coach Kym McKay said. "We had to work hard to get kills and earn our hitting percentage."

The Westerwinds (4-8) recorded the highest team hitting percentage of the season in the first set with a .519. Freshman Megan Toczek led the team in kills with 10, while freshman Krissy Bergquist was 4-for-6 in attacks with a .667 hitting percentage with no errors. Setting up the points for Western was Sarah Trimpe with 31 assists.

"Each of the players who saw action tonight in the front row took big swings and played a physical game," McKay said. "We have been working on this and the coaches are excited to see continual improvement in this area."

Defensively, Elise Crnjak led Western in digs with 18. As a team, Western notched five blocks with Cait Egan leading with three block assists. Erin Frick and Trimpe each assisted in two blocks, while Toczek, Emily Harrison and Bergquist each recorded one.

"We had to work hard to get our digs as Chicago State's offense is tough to anticipate. This is similar to the style of play that we are preparing for this Saturday against Centenary," McKay said.

Western returns to Macomb for a five-match home stretch starting with a 7 p.m. conference-opening match against Centenary, Saturday, in Brophy Hall. The teams will play on the Western Illinois Sport Court, the official playing surface of the NCAA, for the first time.

"It's an understatement to say that we are looking forward to playing at home for the next five matches," McKay raved. "We are excited for the unveiling of the Sport Court, opening conference play and looking for our first win at home."