DES MOINES, Iowa - Elise Crnjak had 23 digs and
Sarah Trimpe had 28 assists and 13 digs, but it wasn't enough as Western fell to Drake 3-1, Tuesday.
"Drake is a hot team right now," Western Illinois head coach Kym McKay said. "They are playing smart and physical volleyball. We struggled offensively due to Drake's big block, which is the biggest we've seen so far this season. Elise stood out and at many times reminded me of Jennifer Alexander (played from 2003-06 and holds all dig records)."
The Bulldogs (5-0) defeated the Westerwinds (1-3) in the first set, 25-11. Errors proved costly for Western as Drake had 13 kills and only three errors for a hitting percentage of .312, while Western had a -.10 hitting percentage.
Erin Frick and
Emily Harrison led the set with two kills each.
Working to make a comeback in the second set, Western went on a run for a nine-point lead at 15-6. A service error lost possession and a point, but Frick had a kill to get both back, 16-7. The Westerwinds continued to stretch the lead to 18-8 when the Bulldogs had a successful tip for a point. A
Monique Houston kill put Western back in control as Drake started a comeback with three-straight points, when Houston slammed down another kill at 20-11 there was no letting up the lead. Harrison went up for the set point and Western defeated the Bulldogs, 25-15. The roles reversed in the second set as Western had a .200 hitting percentage and Drake's errors and kills broke even at .000. Houston led Western in the set with four kills, while freshman
Cait Egan had three and Frick and Harrison each had two.
"We had set goals going into this match and we accomplished parts of them," McKay said. "With only two days since we last played it is hard to see drastic improvement but the amount of improvement that I saw is a positive sign."
In set three Western and Drake sat tied at five as Drake took the lead to 8-5. A ball handeling error on the Bulldogs brought the Westerwinds within two (8-6), but Drake took control back and extended the lead to as many as 11 points at 21-11. Western fell in the set, 25-14.
Western came back from a 7-3 deficit to tie the fourth set at 8-8. The Bulldogs had a .212 hitting percentage with 11 kills and three blocks hold the lead the rest of the set for a final score of 25-15.
The Westerwinds travel to Charleston, Ill., for the Eastern Illinois Panther Tournament, September 5-6, where they will face Eastern Illinois, Toledo and Chicago State.
