Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Western Illinois women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches Saturday afternoon at the 2014 Active Ankle Challenge, hosted by Ball State. The Leathernecks began play Saturday against Northern Colorado, falling by a 3-1 final. In their third and final match of the tournament, Western Illinois fell by a 3-0 decision to Eastern Illinois.

Against Northern Colorado, the Purple and Gold began with a tightly contest first set. Kills by junior Peyton Crosser and sophomore Melanie Miller gave Western a 15-12 advantage midway through the set, which matched the largest lead of the set for either team. The two side battled back and fourth with 21 ties and nine lead changes. A kill from freshman Courtney Joyce knotted things up at 28-28, but Northern Colorado claimed the first set with consecutive points to win 30-28.

The second set belonged to the Leathernecks, using a couple of scoring runs to build a cushion against the Bears. Western first used a 4-point run to take a 9-7 lead behind kills from junior Jordan Jackson and senior Ann Miller, and a service ace from junior Kaitlynn Novak. Northern Colorado would trim the lead to 15-14 before another Western Illinois run would put things out of reach. Kills by senior Samantha Fournier and Crosser gave the Leathernecks a 19-14 lead, and Jackson would end the set with a kill to knot the score at 1-all.

The last two sets belonged to Northern Colorado. Western struggled to find offense in the third set, and Northern Colorado capitalized on its .400 hitting percentage to claim set three, 25-9. Western made things close in the fourth set, coming back from a 16-21 disadvantage late in the set. A kill by Fournier and an ace my senior Molly Murphy brought the Leathernecks within one at 20-21, but that is as close as they would get. The two teams would trade points down the stretch before a Northern Colorado kill would end the match.

Offensively, the Leathernecks were paced by Crosser (13 kills) and Fournier (10). Joyce dished out 36 assists, while Murphy and Joyce each recorded 12 digs.

In the second match of the afternoon, Western Illinois squared off against Eastern Illinois. The Panthers took the first set 25-18, with Miller and Fournier each picking up a pair of kills in the set. The Leathernecks led through the first half of the set, holding a 13-9 advantage midway through the action. The score would eventually be knotted up at 16-all during an Eastern Illinois 7-point rally. The Panthers would hold onto the lead and take a 1-0 advantage into the second set.

Eastern Illinois grabbed an early 3-2 lead in the second set and would never trail after that point. After the Panthers jumped out to an 11-5 lead, the Leathernecks fought back by taking seven of the next nine points. Western Illinois rattled off five consecutive points to cut the lead to 13-12. The two side would trade points through the middle portion of the set before Eastern Illinois ultimately pulled away with the final six points of the set to take the second set, 25-18.,The final set played out the first two sets, with the teams trading points throughout most of the set. Eastern and Western would have 11 tie scores in the last set, with Eastern claiming the final five points of the set to take home the victory, 25-20.

For Western Illinois, sophomore Melanie Miller (8 kills) and Jackson (7) led the offense. Joyce continued to distribute the ball, collecting 26 assists, while Murphy added 16 digs.,

The Purple and Gold return to the courts next weekend, hosting the 2014 Leatherneck Invitational. Western Illinois will welcome Eastern Illinois, Saint Louis, and UTEP to Macomb. The Leathernecks will open with Eastern on Friday evening (7 p.m.), and close with Saint Louis (12 p.m.) and UTEP (7 p.m.) on Saturday.