MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois volleyball team is preparing for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational on Sept. 9-10. The Leathernecks take on Green Bay and McNeese State on the opening day of play and close out the invitational against hosts Missouri State on Saturday.
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FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live stats will be available for every match. Saturday's matchup against Missouri State will be broadcasted on ESPN3 at noon.
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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Green Bay sits at a perfect 5-0 record on the season, including wins over South Dakota State and Eastern Illinois. During the win streak, the Phoenix have only dropped two sets. Lydia DeWeese will be the player to watch as she has compiled 42 kills and 25 total blocks.
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The McNeese State Cowgirls are 2-6 on the year with wins over Grambling and UL-Lafayette. Freshman Keegan Nelms leads the team with 70 kills and has compiled 74 digs. Alexandra Aguilera dishes out an average of 8.58 assists per set.
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Missouri State (3-3) picked up a victory over #14 Illinois on Aug. 27 in five sets. The Bears have played three ranked opponents so far this season (#15 Hawaii L 0-3, #8 UCLA L 1-3). MSU is hitting .187 on the year and average 12.09 kils per set.
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SERIES HISTORIES: Western leads the Phoenix 7-6 all-time, but has dropped the last five meetings dating back to 1998. The two teams have not met since the 2005 season. The Cowgirls and the Leathernecks have only met one time in program history on Sept. 5, 2010 where Western picked up a 3-2 victory. Missouri State leads the series with Western 16-2, the teams last met on Sept. 4 2004 where the Leathernecks lost in straight sets.
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A LOOK AT YOUR LEATHERNECKS: Western is 0-7 on the year. Shalyn Greenhaw leads the team with 80 kills (2.96 per set). Defensively, Kaili Simmons is averaging four digs per set with 104 on the season. Abby Skryd has compiled 125 assists, followed by Hannah Walker with 91.
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LAST TIME OUT: Western hosted Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6 for the home opener. After taking the opening set, the Leathernecks dropped three straight to the Panthers (25-21, 25-23, 25-16) to fall 3-1. In her first career start, freshman Riley Schumacher led the team with a career-high 12 kills and grabbed six total blocks.
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UP AHEAD: Western returns home for seven straight matches, beginning with Chicago State on Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. The Leathernecks then play host to the 2016 Hampton Inn Leathernecks Invitational on Sept. 16-17 where they faceoff against Drake, Southeast Missouri State and Weber State.
 LEATHERNECK NEWCOMERS: Western welcomes nine newcomers to this year's roster, including a freshman signing class of eight new members. Aleezah Washington (Plainfield, Ill.), Jenna Bryan (Carthage, Ill.), Kayla Gresl (Appleton, Wis.), Mackenzie Steckler (Wentzville, Mo.), Riley Schumacher (St. Charles, Ill.), Makenzie Bouse (Willard, Mo.), Hannah Walker (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Claire Grove (Naperville, Ill.) will look to add depth to the roster. Junior transfer Shalyn Greenhaw (Muscatine, Iowa) will bring experience and has been selected to The Summit League's Preseason Player to Watch List.
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LEATHERNECK RETURNERS: The Leathernecks return 10 players from a year ago (four starters). Libero Kaili Simmons and middle blocker Krishna Merriman lead the team as the two lone seniors. Simmons led the team in digs (381) and ranked second in aces (24) last season. The team leader in assists (764) and aces (31) from a year ago, Abby Skryd, also returns for the Purple and Gold.
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