Box Score OMAHA, Neb. - Western Illinois volleyball defeated Omaha in decisive fashion, 3-0, in the first conference match of the 2013 season on Saturday evening (Sept. 28) in Omaha. The win is the fourth 3-0 sweep for the Leathernecks this season.
“As a program we felt really good about tonight's win against a great UNO team,” head coach April Hall said. “We executed the game plan well and maintained a calm intensity from start to finish. Across the board we had great performances and showed how productive and efficient we can be as a collective unit.”
The Leathernecks improve to 7-9 overall after the win and 1-0 in league play. Omaha falls to 5-11 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
The opening set was back-and-forth until midway through, when the Purple & Gold used back-to-back kills by Heather Smith and Samantha Fournier to take the lead for good. The Leathernecks recorded the final seven points in the set to take the early 1-0 match lead.
Western carried its momentum from the first set into the final two sets, winning 25-9 in set two and 25-12 in the final set to earn the victory. The Leathernecks never trailed in either of the final two sets of the match.
Smith led the Leathernecks with 13 kills and a season-high .750 hitting percentage. The .750 hitting percentage is the best for any Leatherneck this season and nearly matches Smith's career best .778 hitting percentage, which came on September 4, 2011 vs. Savannah State.
Fournier recorded a team-best 15 kills in the match with a career-high .650 hitting percentage. Fourier also led the Leathernecks with four service aces, which is also a new career high for the junior.
Ann Miller notched eight kills in the match and also recorded a season-high four blocks. Sarah Fetter continued to set her teammates up, as she recorded 36 assists. Molly Murphy led the way defensively with 14 digs for the Leathernecks.
As a team the Purple & Gold recorded a season-high .513 hitting percentage.
“It is my hope that the focus, intensity and team play we showed tonight will carry through during practice next week and the tough conference play to come,” added Hall.
Western will continue conference play next weekend in Indiana as the team squares off against IUPUI on Friday (Oct. 4) and Fort Wayne on Saturday (Oct. 5).
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