MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois volleyball hits the courts this Friday and Sunday, October 16 and 18, as the Leathernecks continue Summit League play against South Dakota State and Oral Roberts. WIU will first take on the Jackrabbits of SDSU on Friday in Macomb, with first serve slated for 7 p.m. inside Western Hall. Following Friday's match, the Leathernecks will hit the road for a 1 p.m. start at Oral Roberts on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois hit the road for its final nonconference match of the season on Tuesday, October 13, as WIU headed to the Windy City to face UIC. The Leaternecks were unable to get any momentum going, as UIC claimed a 3-0 decision inside the Flames Athletic Center. Peyton Crosser led the way offensively with 15 kills on the night while Abby Skryd dished out a team-best 15 assists.

SERIES HISTORIES: Western Illinois and South Dakota State have met 18 times previously, with the Jackrabbits holding a 12-6 advantage. The Leathernecks have gotten the best of SDSU in recent history, as Western has claimed three of the last four, including a season sweep a year ago. Western closed out the 2014 season with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in a match in which WIU trailed 2-0. Sunday will mark the 36th all-time meeting between the Leathernecks and Golden Eagles, with Oral Roberts holding a 31-5 advantage. ORU has dominated the recent history, taking 10-straight meetings dating back to the start of the 2008 season.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: South Dakota State rolls into Macomb holding a 2-20 record including a 1-5 mark in league play. Sophomore Mikala Hora serves as the top offensive threat for the Jackrabbits, as she leads the team with 156 kills. True freshman Matti Munger leads the offense with a team-best 442 assists. SDSU is led by first-year head coach Nicole Cirillo. Oral Roberts enters the weekend sitting in fourth place in the league standings with a 4-2 mark (10-9 overall), and will play Denver on the road before hosting the Leathernecks. Laura Milos leads the league in kills (349) and kills per set (4.99), while Lucija Bojanjac ranks first in The Summit League in assists per set (10.99). Sheera Sirola enters her 13th season at the helm of the Golden Eagle program.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Junior Kaili Simmons made the most of her Western Illinois debut at the 2015 Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational. The transfer from Missouri State-West Plains was named to the All-Tournament Team following a weekend in which she led the team in digs (42) and aces (5). The captain followed that performance with her second-career 'All-Tournament' from the Evansville Tournament. For the Weekend, Simmons tallied 43 digs, including 18 in Western's victory over Jackson State. Freshman Sierra Bauder claimed her first collegiate accolade at the Kansas Invitational as she was named to the All-Tournament Team. On the Weekend, Bauder collected 11 kills and eight blocks, with two of the opponents receiving votes in the latest polls. Jordan Jackson collected 'All-Tournament' honors from the Evansville Tournament as she helped guide Western to its first victory of 2015. In the win over Jackson State, Jackson tallied a career high 18 kills and season highs in aces (2) and blocks (7). Jackson ended the weekend with 34 kills over three matches. Peyton Crosser received Western's final All-Tournament accolade following the ISU Classic. During the tournament, Crosser recorded a season-best 16 kills against Valparaiso.

THE COACHING STAFF: Western Illinois is led by first-year head coach Kelly Richardson.  After serving as an assistant coach at UT-Arlington a season ago, Richardson joins the Leatherneck family and is joined by assistant coaches Dan Brown and Taylor Szypulski. Richardson has long-standing ties with Brown as Richardson and Brown's wife were college teammates. Richardson also knows Szypulski well, as the two were both assistant coaches at UT-Arlington during the 2014 season.