Who | Western Illinois (4-20, 3-10) vs. South Dakota (13-8, 10-2) and South Dakota State (14-9, 6-6)

When | Thursday, Nov. 4 - 7 p.m. (vs. South Dakota) and Sunday, Nov. 7 - 11 a.m. (vs. South Dakota State)

Where | Macomb, Ill. (Western Hall)

Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH
 

Quick Hits

• With only five matches remaining on its regular-season schedule, Western Illinois volleyball is back home this week for matches against South Dakota and South Dakota State.

• Last week, the Leathernecks split on the road, taking a five-set win over North Dakota and dropping to North Dakota State in four sets.

• Kennedy Davis remains the top Leatherneck in kills (219) and service aces (19), two marks she has maintained for nearly all of the fall. Her .319 hitting percentage is sixth-best in The Summit League.

• First-years Maggie Craker and Karli Wenzel now lead the team in assists (474) and digs (283), respectively. Both rank as top-ten league individuals for that stat categories

• WIU sits fourth in digs within the Summit's team standings, averaging 15.52 per set.
   

Most Recently … | This past Thursday (Oct. 28), Western visited North Dakota (1-23, 0-12) for the start of week six in Summit League play. Battling in an outing that went down to the very wire, WIU hung on to claim the night in five sets (26-24, 28-30, 22-25, 25-20, 15-13). Maggie Craker posted a remarkable line of 46 assists and 33 digs, both career-highs. She is the only Leatherneck to reach numbers over 40 and 30 in two statistical categories during a single match this year. Aubrey Putman (12 kills and 22 digs) and Karli Wenzel (10 assists and 27 digs) recorded double-doubles of their own. The latter marked a new career-high in digs and added three service aces. Kennedy Davis had one of her most efficient hitting nights of the season -- 17 kills on a .484 clip. Peyton Bowman and Brittany Wulf chipped in 10 kills apiece. It was the first match of the fall in which four or more Leathernecks tallied 10+ kills. Seniors Emma Norris and Erika Moore contributed seven kills and 14 digs, respectively. As a team, Western outperformed UND in aces (6-3) and digs (122-118).

WIU met North Dakota State inside the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Saturday (Oct. 30), where the morning matinee, a 3-1 Leatherneck loss, captured several high performances for the visiting team. Bowman (13) and Norris (10) each contributed 10-plus kills, while Putman added her fourth double-double of the season (the second in as many matches) on a team-best 15 digs with 11 kills. Craker notched another double-double: 39 assists and 12 digs.
 

Can You Dig It? | In the victory over North Dakota, WIU totaled 122 digs as a group, which stands as the highest mark in the league this season. The last team to reach such numbers was former league member Fort Wayne (129 digs) versus North Dakota State on Nov. 16, 2007. Maggie Craker, Karli Wenzel, Aubrey Putman, and Erika Moore all ended in double-digit figures.
 

A Brief History | South Dakota moved to a 19-3 all-time advantage over Western after defeating the Leathernecks last month on Oct. 9. South Dakota State also leads in its series, 20-11, and knocked off WIU in four sets during an Oct. 7 meeting.
 

Scouting the Opposition | Having won eight of its last nine matches, South Dakota is tied for second with Omaha in league standings. Two Coyotes, outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke, and libero Lolo Weideman were named Summit League Players of the Week on Tuesday (Nov. 2) after carrying the team to a pair of four-set victories over Kansas City and Oral Roberts last week. South Dakota leads the league in team blocks with a total of 196.0, good for a 2.42 set average. Madison Harms has been a significant standout once again this fall, as the junior middle blocker leads all Summit individuals in blocks per set (1.33) and is second in hitting percentage (.393).

Likewise to the Coyotes, South Dakota State also captured wins over Kansas City and Oral Roberts this past week. The Jackrabbits stand sixth in league standings and are fourth in team hitting percentage (.228). Crystal Burk is the Summit's top performer in kills per set (3.80). Burk also leads the team in service aces (26). Carly Wedel and Tatum Pickar pace the Jackrabbits in assists (625) and digs, respectively.
 

What's Next? | Western has one more week of road competition -- visiting Oral Roberts (Nov. 11) and Kansas City (Nov. 13).