Box Score

Omaha UNO 8-21 (3-10)

Western Illinois WIU 4-28 (1-15)

Omaha UNO

8-21 (3-10)

Final

Nov. 12, 2016

Western Illinois WIU

4-28 (1-15)

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Omaha UNO	21	25	25	25	15	(3)
Western Illinois WIU	25	11	21	27	9	(2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | Saturday, November 12, 2016 | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Topped by Omaha on Senior Night

Western Illinois closes the 2016 season with a 3-2 loss to the Mavericks

MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois volleyball team played host to Omaha Saturday evening (Nov. 12) in a Summit League showdown that went to five sets. The Mavericks were ultimately able to claim the 3-2 victory.

Prior to the match, seniors Krishna Merriman and Kaili Simmons were honored for their two-year careers in a Leatherneck uniform.

"Our two seniors have done a great job of being good leaders and coming in and working hard. Obviously for Krishna, this season didn't go quite as expected with a broken leg at the beginning of the season that kept her out all season," said head coach Kelly Richardson. "That's a bummer, but she came every single day and came with a good attitude and helped her teammates on the sidelines, which was all she could do and she made the most of that situation. I'm really proud of her."

Simmons ends her career at Western with 956 total digs, including 575 this year, which ranks her sixth all-time in program history for digs in a single season. Her 4.96 digs/set this season also ranks sixth all-time.

"We talk a lot about buying into the process and what we're doing and Kaili is the epitome of that. She did a great job of doing our technique and doing it the way we wanted and never complaining and coming in and busting it every day," added Richardson. "She'll finish in the top 15 or 20 in digs in the country and we're really proud of her. More than those total digs, is her ability to come in and have a great attitude and work hard. These two seniors have done a great job of laying the groundwork for what we want our program to be as we're moving forward and building this from the ground up."

Western came out and opened a 6-1 lead on the Mavericks in the first set. A kill from Emilee Dechant, who had 10 on the night, extended the Leathernecks' lead to 12-8 later in the set. Western then went on a 4-0 spurt to lead 17-10. Omaha crept back with a 4-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to three at 17-14. The Mavericks would not back down, as they worked to cut Western's lead to two points, 21-19. Omaha's late push was no match for the Leathernecks though, as a kill from Shiah Sanders gave Western a 25-21 opening set victory.

The Leathernecks struggled to find their footing in set two as Omaha scored the first five points of the match and opened a 7-2 lead. Trailing 17-6, Melanie Patenaude and Claire Grove recorded consecutive kills, but it wasn't enough as Omaha went on a 5-0 run to end the second set, taking a 25-11 victory.

Set three was more evenly matched until Omaha broke away to lead 10-5. Trailing 18-11, Western scored four straight points to trail by three, 18-15, and force an Omaha timeout. The run was highlighted by a trio of kills by Aleezah Washington, Shalyn Greenhaw and Dechant. The two sides went point-for-point the remainder of the set with Omaha holding the slight advantage. A 3-2 run closed things up for UNO, as they took a 25-21 decision.

In a pivotal fourth set, the Leathernecks opened a 5-1 lead to force an early UNO timeout. Dechant recorded consecutive kills later in the set to open a five-point lead over the Mavericks, 11-6. After UNO went on a 4-0 run to cut Western's lead to one point, WIU answered back with six straight points to lead 18-12.

Late in the fourth set, Western looked to close things out with a 24-20 lead, but the Mavericks answered back with five unanswered points to take a 25-24 advantage. A solo block from Washington and a kill from Greenhaw gave Western a 27-25 set four victory and kept the Leathernecks alive.

WIU struggled to get going in the fifth set, as Omaha jumped out to a 6-1 lead. A kill from Washington and a Maverick error put Western within three, but it wasn't enough, as UNO was able to close out a 15-9 fifth set win, claiming the match 3-2.

Greenhaw led the team with 15 kills, hitting .217 on the night (5 errors, 46 total attacks). The junior also added 13 digs. Simmons led the team with 21 digs, while Makenzie Bouse compiled 23 assists. Riley Schumcher had four total blocks on the night.

Tonight's match closed out the 2016 campaign for the Leathernecks, who finished 4-28 overall with a 1-15 mark in Summit League play.