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Senior Day
3
Winner South Dakota USD 17-10 (11-3)
0
Western Illinois WIU 5-21 (3-10)
Winner
South Dakota USD
17-10 (11-3)
3
Final
0
Western Illinois WIU
5-21 (3-10)
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
South Dakota USD 25 25 25 (3)
Western Illinois WIU 19 20 15 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Fall to South Dakota on Senior Day

Seniors Samantha Fournier, Mallory Gibson, Ann Miller, and Molly Murphy were honored prior to the match on Sunday (Nov. 9)

MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois volleyball team concluded its home slate Sunday afternoon (Nov. 9), hosting South Dakota in league action. The Coyotes would spoil the Leathernecks' senior day, taking a 3-0 decision. The result drops Western Illinois to 5-21 (3-10) while the Coyotes improved to 17-10 (11-3) with the victory.

Prior to the start of the match, the team honored its four seniors for their time and dedication to the Leatherneck volleyball program. Seniors Samantha Fournier, Mallory Gibson, Ann Miller and Molly Murphy were escorted by their parents out to the court to be recognized before playing their final game inside Western Hall.

"It's sad, because you always want to win on senior day, and you want to have a stellar performance on senior day," said Western Illinois head coach April Hall. "Unfortunately, we didn't have that for them this afternoon. It's sad and a little disheartening because today wasn't the celebration we were looking for. That said, I think the seniors had a great night tonight." 

Once the match began, Western jumped out to an early 9-5 lead thanks to a 7-0 scoring run. Fournier, Miller, and Crosser all contributed kills in the run while Crosser and Jordan Jackson teamed up for a combination block on the South Dakota attack. The Coyotes would slowly climb back into the match and even things up at 14-all. It was a closely contested set the rest of the way, but a 5-0 Coyote run would help secure a 25-19 victory in the opening set.

Kills from Gibson and Fournier opened up the second set scoring for the Leathernecks. Western Illinois would lead early on in the set, with an ace from Miller giving the Purple and Gold a slim 11-10 lead. The lead wouldn't last long, as South Dakota would take the lead and hold it the rest of the set. The Coyotes were able to build a gap in the scoring after a 5-0 run extended the lead to 18-13. Western rallied late, but fell by a 25-20 final, giving South Dakota a 2-0 lead heading into the break. The third and final set belonged to South Dakota, as they were able to pick up the victory with a 25-15 decision.

Miller, who led the Western attack with a team-leading 14 kills, continued her climb up the Western Illinois all-time kills list. The effort Sunday afternoon moved Miller into a tie for second place in career kills, joining Jennifer Dockemeyer with 1,260 career kills. Murphy led the defensive effort with 12 digs, and Fournier dished out 28 assists.

Western Illinois hits the road for the final three matches of the season. The Purple and Gold open the road trip with a midweek contest against IUPUI on Tuesday (Nov. 11). First serve between the Leathernecks and Jaguars is set for 6 p.m. (CT). 
 
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