MACOMB, Ill.  — The Western Illinois volleyball team played host to nearly 250 fans Tuesday night during the Fighting Leathernecks' third-annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage at Western Hall.

The event gave fans the chance to put their volleyball skills to the test before getting a sneak preview of what is to come from the Leathernecks in the 2009 season. The Western Illinois volleyball team treated all in attendance to free Papa John's Pizza while the first 100 fans received a free Purple and Gold T-shirt.

The evening opened with Western players pairing up with fans for passing and serving contests followed by a triples contest in which fans went head-to-head against the Leathernecks. Several fans also tried their hand at scoring a service ace against Western's senior libero Elise Crnjak in the final contest of the night. All contestants were awarded prizes.

“The crowd was into it and we had a lot of people signing up for the contests. That is really what tonight is all about is us being able to interact with the fans,” said Western Illinois coach Kym McKay. “We love to give away free Western Illinois Gear and have that time to interact.”

The night concluded with an inter-squad scrimmage in which the Leatherneck white team of Brooke Stittleburg, Katie Hosteng, Emily Harrison and Ellen Miller defeated a purple squad made up of Cait Egan, Elise Crnjak, Lindsay Muehlbauer, Krissy Bergquist and Allison Gilbert by a 25-23 margin.

“It was good for me to see if there has been some growth. I think some players did a really good job of playing ball and keeping it business,” McKay said. “Elise (Crnjak) Ellen (Miller) and Emily (Harrison) played real well. Even Katie Hosteng as a freshman handled everything. We just have to make sure that when we are in a crowd situation, it is about keeping that ball off the floor and scoring points.”