"Too many unforced errors hurt us today," Western Illinois coach Kym McKay said. "(Troy head coach) Sonny (Kirkpatrick) has built a solid program and they played well on their home floor."

"Brooke (Stittleburg) was excellent today and that is great to see from one of our leaders," said McKay. "She was very efficient offensively and impressed the coaches with her decisions. Her play has improved with each match and she will be a major contributor this season."

Sophomore Katie Hosteng had four kills and the Leathernecks collected 3.5 blocks in the first set, but Troy (2-3) used a significant advantage in attack percentage (.290-.135) to capture the matches' closest set, 25-21. Bergquist and junior Allison Gilbert both put down three kills in the second set, but eight Western Illinois attack errors helped Troy win the second set, 25-20. Stittleburg came on late in the third set to record three kills on four attempts, but it wasn't enough as the Trojans secured the victory with a 25-18 win.  

Freshman Heather Smith dished out 26 assists, five digs and two kills in her second consecutive match as Western's starting setter. Senior Ellen Miller led the Leathernecks in digs for the third straight match as she posted a game-high 11. Junior Cait Egan added three solo blocks and two block assists to add to her team-leading season total of 18 total blocks. 

In the first match of the tournament, Evansville's Brooke Maher had a game-high 15 kills and the Purple Aces posted a 3-0 victory over McNeese State.

Western Illinois continues play in the Troy University Spiketacular tomorrow with an 11:30 a.m. match against Evansville before taking on McNeese State at 2 p.m.