MACOMB, Ill. - The Fighting Leatherneck volleyball team concludes the home portion of the season this weekend, hosting North Dakota State and South Dakota in league action. North Dakota State comes to town on Friday (Nov. 7), with first serve slated for 6 p.m inside Western Hall. Western Illinois closes the home schedule with South Dakota, with first on Sunday (Nov. 9) set for 2 p.m. Sunday will also be senior day, with the program honoring seniors Samantha Fournier, Mallory Gibson, Ann Miller and Molly Murphy for their dedication and effort to the Leatherneck volleyball program over the past four years.
ON THE AIR: All home matches this season will be available on the radio with Cody Snodgress and Matt DeSalvo will handle the announcing duties this season. Live video streaming will also be available for home matches this season, with a subscription required to view. Eric Sutera will serve as the play-by-play announcer while Emily Manley will be the color commentator.
Radio: 88.3 FM or 883thedog.com
Video Streaming: goleathernecks.com/watch (subscription required)
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/wiu/wvball
LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks dropped a pair of league matches this past weekend, falling to Oral Roberts and Denver on the road. Western dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Oral Roberts on Friday (Oct. 31) in a match where the Leathernecks led 2-0 before losing the final three sets. On Sunday (Nov. 2), Western lost a 3-0 decision to league-leading Denver. Ann Miller's 28 kills over the weekend vaulted her from fifth to third on the career kills list, passing Ashley Baker and Michele Aulig on the list. Miller now sits with 1,228 career kills, 33 kills shy of second place.
A LOOK AT NORTH DAKOTA STATE: The Bison are currently tied for fourth in the Summit League, posting a record of (12-14, 6-6) on the season. NDSU, led by fourth year head coach Kari Thompson, are on a five match winning streak, including four wins in league play. Jenni Fassbender leads the way offensively, recording 353 kills on the season, the fourth most in the league. Emily Milligan's 434 digs are the second-most in the Summit League.
SERIES HISTORY: North Dakota State leads the all-time series, 12-4, and took the first match between the two teams this season. On Oct. 5, Western Illinois traveled to Fargo, North Dakota, and took the opening set from the Bison. NDSU answered by taking the next three sets en route to a 3-1 victory. Ann Miller's 15 kills paced the Purple and Gold on the afternoon.
A LOOK AT SOUTH DAKOTA: The Coyotes head to Macomb with a 15-10 record. South Dakota, led by first year head coach Leanne Williamson, currently sits in third place in the league with a 9-3 record.
SERIES HISTORY: South Dakota leads the all-time series by a 6-2 mark, including a 3-0 victory over Western Illinois back on Oct. 10. Ann Miller posted a team-high 11 kills while Molly Murphy and Kayla Ruff each collected 12 kills. Samantha Fournier dished out 28 assists for the Leathernecks.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Senior Ann Miller recently made history, as she became Western Illinois' all-time leader in career attack attempts. Miller's 3,817 attack attempts tops the previous record of 3,699 set by Amy Sauerwein. Miller is also climbing the ranks in career kills, as she currently ranks third in career kills (1,228), needing 32 kills to move into second place. Looking the the conference, Miller ranks second in the league (21st nationally) in attacks per set (11.70). Freshman Kayla Ruff ranks third in The Summit League in aces per set (.35), and Molly Murphy is sixth in digs per set (4.13).
MILLER MAKES HISTORY: Senior Ann Miller made Leatherneck history at the UIC Invitational, becoming the 10th player in program history to record 1,000 career kills. At the end of the weekend, Miller ranked 10th in program history in career kills. The following weekend at the Hoosier Classic, Miller continued her move up the ranks as she collected 30 kills in the opening match against Butler. The 30 kills ranks fourth most in program history for a single match, and moved Miller into eighth place on the career kills list.
TEAM ACCOLADES: Senior Samantha Fournier was named The Summit League 'Offensive Player of the Week' on Oct. 27 after a career day against Fort Wayne. Fournier collected her first career triple-double after tallying 39 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs in a 3-1 win over the Mastodons. The 10 kills came on a career-high .750 hitting percentage (10 kills, 1 error, 12 attacks), while the victory secured the season sweep over Fort Wayne. The Leatherneck program picked up three All-Tournament Honors during the non-conference portion of the season. Senior Molly Murphy was named to the All-Tournament Team of the Active Ankle Challenge, hosted by Ball State, after leading the team in digs (39) on the weekend. Murphy also had six assists and one ace on the weekend. Fellow senior Sam Fournier was recognized at the Leatherneck Invitational, being named to the All-Tournament Team. Fournier, who had never recorded more than four assists in a match at Western Illinois, tallied 109 assists on the weekend. Ann Miller was an All-Tournament Team selection of the UIC Invitational after collecting 52 kills on the weekend. Miller recorded 26 kills in a come-from-behind victory against UIC, falling one kill shy of matching her career-high in kills. Miller received national recognition as well, as she was named a one of 30 candidates for the 2014 Senior CLASS award. The award is given out to one senior athlete in 10 different NCAA Division 1 sports for notable achievements in the four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character, and competition. Miller is the lone volleyball representative from The Summit League.
SENIOR LEADERS: The squad is paced by four seniors this season, Ann Miller, Sam Fournier, Molly Murphy, and Mallory Gibson. The quartet of seniors have been a presence on the court since their freshmen years, compiling 1,102 combined sets played between the four players.
LEATHERNECK NEWCOMERS: Four new players join the Leatherneck family for the 2014 season. Junior middle blocker Peyton Crosser joins the program after transferring from Indian Hills CC (Iowa), while sophomore setter Elyse Keating comes to the Leathernecks after playing for one season at the University of Mount Olive (N.C.). Western Illinois also brings in two freshmen in setter Courtney Joyce and Kayla Ruff. Joyce (Chicago, Ill., Mother McAuley) helped lead Mother McAuley to a 2013 class Class 4A State Championship, while being named the 2013 SouthtownStar Player of the Year, as well as the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Ruff (Bettendorf, Iowa, Pleasant Valley) comes to Western Illinois after being named Honorable Mention All-Conference her final three years of high school. Ruff helped pace the Spartans of Pleasant Valley to a combined 66-9 record her final two seasons, with appearances in the state semifinals and elite 8.
THE SCHEDULE: Western's 2014 schedule breakdown: three road tournaments, consisting of nine matches, one home tournament with three matches, one additional home nonconference contest, and 16 Summit League matches. Total, the Leathernecks will play 11 matches in Western Hall or Brophy Hall, and 17 matches on the road.
THE COACHING STAFF: Head coach April Hall enters her third season at Western. Laura DeBruler, who concluded her collegiate volleyball career at Illinois in 2010 is the Leathernecks' full-time assistant, while Bridget Murphy, who completed a decorated career at Western Illinois as a defensive specialist in 2012 is the team's graduate assistant.
