STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Western Illinois volleyball team tangoed with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Saturday (Aug. 31) and went the distance for five sets. The matchup included an outstanding block performance – highlighted by a WIU single-match record – as the Leathernecks fell 3-2 to Mississippi State. 

The Leathernecks totaled 28 blocks, and Mackenzie Steckler notched 12 of her own to rank fourth all-time in a single match. 

The matchup also wrapped Western's appearance in the Starkvegas Classic where Mariah Mitchell received her second honor of the season with a selection to the all-tournament team. The recognition came after a weekend where she recorded 33 kills and 5.5 blocks.

"Statistically we beat them in almost every category, but couldn't come up with the win," said Coach Ben Staupe. "We showed a lot of heart and growth throughout the match and the weekend."

The Leathernecks showed their offensive dominance from the beginning of the match, keeping the Bulldogs under 15 points in the very first set. JoJo Kruize led the effort with eight kills as Western cruised to a 25-15 set. 

Things were a bit tighter in the second frame, starred by a 9-9 tie, and it went to the Bulldogs, 25-19. Despite the set score, Western out-swung the Bulldogs 19-15, and held the advantage in digs (19-14) and blocks (8-4). 

Western put on a show in the fourth set, where neither side was able to separate by more than two points. It sat tied at 23-23 on a kill from Kruize and went into extra points on a solo block from Steckler. The Bulldogs were ultimately the victor by a score of 26-24, and the stellar back and forth play continued into the final frame where Mississippi State pulled away after an 8-3 edge.

Kruize and Mitchell guided the Leathernecks with 16 and 13 kills, respectively, while Gabby DePersio added a career-high 20 digs.

The Leathernecks ended the weekend 1-2 with the victory occurring over Mississippi Valley State, and they travel to Southeast Missouri State Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6 and Sept. 7) to compete in the Redhawk Invitational.