IOWA CITY, Iowa - Western Illinois volleyball concluded day one of the Hawkeye Challenge with a 1-1 record on Friday (Sept. 13). The Leathernecks defeated UIC, 3-0, in the opening match before falling to Ball State, 3-1, in the second match of the day. 

Western Illinois 3, UIC 0

Western opened up the tournament with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Flames of UIC on Friday morning. UIC had taken seven of the previous 10 matches played between the two squads prior to the Leatherneck victory.

"We showed fight and fury against a great UIC team," said head coach April Hall. "We were on a mission and we found a way to execute the game plan early. We faltered a little in the first, but showed tenacity in our play by coming back and winning. It was a team effort that earned the win in the end."

The Leathernecks won the opening set in a close one, 25-23, before cruising to victory in the final two sets, winning 25-18 and 25-14.

Ann Miller and Jordan Jackson both recorded eight kills in the opening match, respectively, while Heather Smith and Mallory Gibson added six each for Western. Miller also notched three service aces and 10 digs.

Sarah Fetter had 25 assists to lead the Purple & Gold while defensively, Bailey Kaloupek recorded a team-best 11 digs. 

The 3-0 victory was the second in a row for the Purple & Gold and the first win for Western over UIC since 2009.

Ball State 3, Western Illinois 1

Meeting for the second time in the last week, the Leathernecks fell to the Cardinals, 3-1, in the second match of the day. Western fell to 4-6 on the season after the loss while Ball State improved to 5-3.

"We showed more fight this week against Ball State," added Hall. "Obviously we are disappointed with the loss, but we have reflected on where we need to go from here as a team. Although we have much talent, we are owning the fact that this team needs to be focused and work harder than our opponents 100% of the time."

Western fell 25-21 in the opening set before coming back to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 victory in set two. The Cardinals defeated the Leathernecks in the next two sets, 25-19, 25-15, to win the match and pick up their first win of the day. 

Samantha Fournier led the way for Western with 14 kills in the match to give her a team-best 18 on the day. Gibson and Jackson both recorded season-highs with nine kills apiece, while Miller added seven more for the Leathernecks.

Fetter notched 44 assists in the match, giving her 69 for the day and 2,480 for her Leatherneck career. The senior remains in fifth place on the career assist list at Western Illinois.

Playing in just her second match of the season, junior Molly Murphy recorded a team-best 16 digs to lead the Leathernecks defensivley. Miller added in 12 digs while Kaitlynn Novak recorded nine. 

The Purple & Gold will continue play in the Hawkeye Challenge tomorrow (Sept. 14) as they take on Iowa at noon and Drake at 5 p.m.