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Shalyn Greenhaw
2
Western Illinois WIU 4-26, 1-13
3
Winner South Dakota State SDSU 4-21, 4-10
Western Illinois WIU
4-26, 1-13
2
Final
3
South Dakota State SDSU
4-21, 4-10
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Western Illinois WIU 13 23 25 25 10 (2)
South Dakota State SDSU 25 25 12 22 15 (3)

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

Volleyball Battles, Falls Short at South Dakota State

Leathernecks come from behind 2-0 before eventually falling in set five

BROOKINGS, S.D. – After falling behind 2-0, the Western Illinois volleyball team battled back Saturday evening (Nov. 5) and pushed South Dakota State to five sets. The Leathernecks were unable to claim the fifth set and fell by a final score of 3-2. With the loss, Western drops to 4-26 on the year and 1-13 in Summit League play.
 
"We did a good job of fighting back tonight after the second set and pushing the match to five. We need to do a better job of taking that momentum and confidence all the way through to the end of the match," said head coach Kelly Richardson. "We allowed our errors to take control in the fifth set and ultimately in a short set to 15 points, you can't do that. I'm proud of our fight tonight and we'll get back in the gym this week to prepare for our last home stand of the season."
 
The Leathernecks had two players in double figures in the loss. Shalyn Greenhaw earned her sixth double-double of the season with a team-leading 17 kills and also 11 digs. Melanie Patenaude contributed with 13 kills and 15 digs for her first double-double of the season.
 
Western Illinois got off to a slow start in the opening set as they fell by a score of 25-13.
 
The beginning portion of the second set was more evenly contested as both sides traded points back and forth. Western used a 3-0 run to lead 7-5 and kept the advantage until SDSU slowly crept back to take a 15-14 lead. The Jackrabbits then found their groove to go up 20-16 and eventually led 23-17. Western would not back down as two kills from Greenhaw and several SDSU errors tied the set at 23-23. However, the late push fell short as the Jackrabbits claimed set two 25-23.
 
A rejuvenated Western team took to the floor following the break and opened up a 4-0 lead in the third set, highlighted by two kills from Riley Schumacher. The Leathernecks then pushed their lead to 10-3 to force an SDSU timeout. It was all Western after that as Kaili Simmons' trio of service aces capped a 5-0 run that put WIU ahead 18-8. Another 4-0 spurt gave Western a 23-10 lead as they cruised to a 25-12 set three victory to stay alive.  
 
Set four picked up where the previous set left off, with Western leading 7-1. The Jackrabbits fought back and cut their deficit to 12-10. Both sides exchanged points after that, with Western maintaining the advantage. With the set tied at 20-20, the Leathernecks broke through and used a 3-0 run highlighted by a service ace from Makenzie Bouse to go up for good. SDSU scored two more points but it was no match for WIU, as the Leathernecks claimed a 25-22 victory to push to set five.
 
A kill by Patenaude gave Western a 5-4 lead in the fifth set, but SDSU responded with two quick points to lead 6-5 and force a WIU timeout. The Jackrabbits then built a 10-7 lead before Greenhaw scored two points following a kill and an ace to put Western within one. Errors then proved to be costly for the Leathernecks, as the Jackrabbits were able to claim four of the final five points off of them to go on to a 15-10 set five victory.
 
Simmons compiled 25 digs on the night while Bouse dished out a career-high 28 assists. In addition to seven kills, Schumacher led the team with four total blocks.
 
Saturday's match capped the last of Western's road matches for the season. The Leathernecks return home for Senior Weekend, beginning on Friday (Nov. 11) against IUPUI at 5 p.m. On Saturday (Nov. 12), both Simmons and Krishna Merriman will be honored prior to the 7 p.m. match against Omaha.
 
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