Who | Western Illinois vs. Toledo, Wright State, and Indiana State
When | Friday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 14 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Where | Dayton, Ohio
Watch | Toledo, Wright State, Indiana State
Live Stats | Here
Social Media | Twitter #TRADITIONofTOUGH

FIRST SERVE | Western Illinois women's volleyball takes on the road again and will head to Dayton, Ohio Friday (Sept. 13) to take on the Wright State Invitational where they will face Toledo, Wright State, and Indiana State.

STAUPE SAYS | "Playing four matches in a week will be challenging," says coach Ben Staupe. "We would like to see better offensive efficiency and maintain the energy that we brought against Drake"

LAST TIME OUT | The Leathernecks hosted their first home game in Western Hall on Tuesday (Sept. 10) against the Drake Bulldogs. A great first set performance helped the WIU take the set 25-20 highlighted by three aces from Casssie Hunt, Elle Shult, and Jessie Connell. Western ultimately fell to the strong Bulldog competition in four sets. Leading the Western efforts was Aubrey Putman hitting at a .429 percentage and chipping in 12 digs. Also sitting at the top of the stats was JoJo Kruize with 11 kills, Jessie Connell with 24 assists, and Gabby DePersio also addong 12 digs.

STOPPED BY STECKLER | The Leathernecks have out-blocked all but two of their six opponents thus far in the 2019 season. With a total of 53 blocks on the season so far, a season-high for the team came against Mississippi State were the team totaled 28 blocks,  Mackenzie Steckler, alone, out blocking the opponent with 12. WIU currently sits at a tie for fourth in the conference for total blocks while Steckler sits at first in the league for total blocks this season with 37 blocks.

STRONG START | The Leathernecks have now won three out of their first seven games. This is the first time in three years that WIU has been able to hold this win percentage at this point in the season. Success coming from positive statistical changes across the board. Compared to last season the Leathernecks have improved their hitting average .074 with an improvement of one kill per set, and their blocks per set by 0.1. The Leathernecks will look to continue this positive trend as they advance in pre-conference play these two upcoming weekends.

TWO LEATHERNECKS TO WATCH | The Summit League released a list of Preseason Players to Watch along with preseason rankings Wednesday (Aug. 21). Two WIU players, Steckler and Mitchell, found their names on the list. Last season, Steckler played in 27 matches to notch 155 kills, 104 blocks, and nine aces. Mitchell is a middle hitter for WIU, coming off of a freshman season where she achieved great success playing in 27 out of 29 total matches, notched 112 kills and 35 blocks.

ROCKY'S ROOKIES | Western Illinois has added five new players to its volleyball roster this year with four freshmen and one transfer. Kruize joining the team for her final season has made a huge impact leading the Leathernecks with 90 kills thus far. Another two rookies leading the way for WIU are DePersio with 94 digs and Connell with 149 assists as well as 13 aces. Making an impact both Shult and Putman have seen success so far this season. Putman with 49 digs (second on the team) and 14 kills. Shult with 30 kills and 13 blocks.

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS | The Rockets are led by head coach Jason Oliver in his second season. So far in 2019 they have a 4-2 record highlighted by wins over Loyola (Chicago), Rider, and Radford. In the 2018 season, Toledo volleyball had a record of 9-18. The team returns three starters including Zoe Birnbrich, Chloee Kleespies, and Rhyen Neal. They bring in six new players highlighted by Ryann Jaqua with 30 kills and 58 digs thus far. Western looks to take the advantage in the series with Toledo, historically with  1-1 record. The last time the teams stepped on the same court was in 2018.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS | The Raiders are led by head coach Allie Matters in her second season. Wright State is 5-1 overall so far in the 2019 season highlighted by wins over Notre Dame, Xavier, and William & Mary. They finished their 2018 season 15-14. The team returns five starters from last season highlighted by Taylor Gibson and Teddie Sauer who received all-tournament recognition last weekend at the Xavier Invitational. Wright State brings in four freshmen to their roster including back-to-back Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week, Jenna Story. The Raiders lead the series 5-3, facing the Leathernecks most recently in 2002.

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES | The Sycamores are led by head coach Lindsay Allman entering her third season.  They are currently 0-6 in the 2019 season and last season they recorded a record of 10-20. Leading the team in the 2019 season is Gretchen Kuckkan with 41 kills, Chloe Mason with 97 assists and Melanie Tedrow with 82 digs. The Leathernecks lead the series 15-12, the last time WIU faced Indiana State was in 2015.

LOOKING AHEAD | Following this weekend's tournament, the Leathernecks will participate in their final tournament before conference play at Tennessee Tech where they will take on Tennessee Tech, Southern Illinois, and Middle Tennessee State (Sep. 20 and Sep. 21).