ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Western Illinois volleyball team closed out the 2011 season with a 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 16-25, 15-25) road loss to Oakland Saturday night (Nov. 12) inside the Athletics Center O'rena.

Oakland (18-10, 12-6 Summit League) tallied 58 kills against the Fighting Leathernecks, who finished the season with a 12-18 overall record and a 3-15 mark in Summit League action. Western collected 31 kills and eight total blocks against the Golden Grizzlies.  

Western Illinois ran out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back in a commanding 25-17 victory. The Fighting Leathernecks collected 12 kills on 32 attempts (.312 attack percentage) and four service aces in the opening frame. Over the next three sets, Oakland held Western Illinois to just 19 kills and a .009 attack percentage.

Sophomore Heather Smith put down seven kills on a team-high 31 attempts. Smith also set season-highs with 14 digs and three service aces. After putting down just 10 kills over the first 22 matches of the season, Smith collected a team-high 69 kills over the final eight contests.

Freshman Ann Miller collected seven kills and 13 digs to finish the 2011 campaign with 23 double-digit dig efforts. Miller started 28 matches and led the squad with 11 double-doubles this season. She finished second on the squad in kills (263), digs (349) and aces (19).

Senior Cait Egan, playing in her final match as a Leatherneck, collected five kills and five total blocks. Egan has firmly etched her name in the Western Illinois record book. She finishes her career ranked eighth in kills (1,062), fourth in total blocks (358) and ninth in attack percentage (.243).

Junior Katie Hosteng put down seven kills and freshman Mallory Gibson collected three total blocks. Hosteng ended the season third on the squad with 241 kills and owns 641 career kills entering her senior season in 2012. Meanwhile, Gibson led the team with 0.80 blocks per set this season and was second in total blocks (61) despite appearing in only 76 sets.

Sophomore Sarah Fetter dished out 27 assists to go along with seven digs and two block assists. Fetter collected seven double doubles and nine 40-plus assist efforts in her first season at Western Illinois after transferring from Illinois State.

Freshman Bailey Kaloupek compiled a team-high 15 digs to finish the season with six double-digit efforts. Meanwhile freshman Molly Murphy chipped in 14 digs for her 12th double-digit dig performance. Murphy also collected two service aces and finished the season with a team-high 43 aces, which is the most in a single-season since Ashley Baker (2003, 2005-07) collected 53 during the 2007 campaign.