MACOMB, Ill. - The Fighting Leatherneck volleyball team opens the 2015 season on Friday and Saturday, August 28-29, with the 2015 Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational. Western will play host to Akron, DePaul, Drake, and Southern Illinois - Edwardsville over the two days of competition. Friday will mark the WIU debut of first year head coach Kelly Richardson, who becomes the 10th coach in the history of the Leatherneck volleyball program. Western will open play on Friday evening, facing Akron at 7 p.m. before rounding out competition on Saturday with matches against Drake (11 a.m.) and DePaul (7 p.m.).

SERIES HISTORIES: Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between Western Illinois and Akron. Western's contest with Drake on Saturday will be the 38th meeting between the two schools, with Drake holding a 20-16-1 advantage. The two teams last met in 2009, with Drake taking a 3-0 decision. The Leathernecks' match against DePaul will be the 30th between the two schools, with DePaul leading the all-time series, 17-12. Western has claimed the last four meetings between the two schools, including a 3-0 victory on Oct. 18, 2011.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: Akron enters the 2015 season following an 8-23 (2-14 MAC) record a season ago. The Zips return Julia Smagacz and Anna Wenger who ranked second and third, respectively, in kills in 2014. Akron also returns starting setter Karley Kusan who paced the team with 619 assists a year ago. The Drake Bulldogs capped off the 2014 campaign with a 11-18 mark including a 3-15 record in league play. The Zips are led by Tom Hanna who is in his first season at the helm of the Akron program. Drake returns its top two offensive weapons in sophomore outside Kyla Inderski and junior outside Makena Schoene. Chandelle Davidson leads the offense again in 2015 as her 614 assists a year ago led the team. Darrin McBroom is in his third season as the head coach of Drake. DePaul returns almost its entire roster from a 2014 team that finished 3-27 on the season, 1-17 in BIG EAST competition. 14 of the 15 letterwinners return from a season ago, including all seven starters. Saige Gallop, Caitlyn Coffey lead the way offensively and are set up by senior setter Colleen Smith. Nadia Edwards, the longest tenured coach in the tournament, enters her sixth season leading the Blue Demons.

LEATHERNECK NEWCOMERS: The 2015 roster will feature 14 new faces compared to a season ago. Richardson and her staff hit the recruiting trail the moment they arrived on campus and brought in a freshman signing class of eight members. Shaela Gray (Fontana, Calif.), Shiah Sander (Plymouth, Minn.), Abby Skryd (Naperville, Ill.), Kate Hickey (DeKalb, Ill.), Melanie Patenaude (Aurora, Colo.), Morgyn Bullock (Elkhart, Iowa), Lexi Kolschefski (La Habra, Calif.), and Sierra Bauder (Phoenix, Ariz.) all join the Leathernecks after standout prep careers and will look to make an immediate impact on the 2015 roster. Richardson also brought in a pair of sophomore transfers in Danni Bristow (Saskatoon, Saskatchwan) and Emilee Dechant (Hutchinson, Kan.) who join the Purple and Gold family after spending their freshman campaign at Louisiana Tech. Juniors Kaili Simmons (El Dorado Springs, Mo.), Reilly Dunne (Bartonville, Ill.), Katie Soddy (Milton, Wis.), and Krishna Merriman (Neosho, Mo.) add depth and experience to the 2015 squad.

LEATHERNECK RETURNERS: Outside hitter Peyton Crosser (Ottumwa, Iowa) and middle blocker Jordan Jackson (Annawan, Ill.) return to lead the Leathernecks in their senior seasons. Crosser was an offensive weapon a season ago, as she finished second on the team with 271 kills as a junior. Crosser was a defensive force in the middle, as her 87 total blocks ranked second on the team, while her 18 solo blocks were tied for the team lead.