MACOMB, Ill. - Sunday afternoon became an absolute thriller between Western Illinois volleyball (4-22, 3-12) and South Dakota State (16-9, 8-6) in Western Hall. Headlined by an abundance of tied scores and everlasting toe-to-toe play, the match eventually went to the Jackrabbits in five sets (18-25, 29-31, 26-24, 25-22, 10-15).

"I thought we really increased our fight as the match progressed," said WIU head volleyball coach Ben Staupe. "We gave ourselves a chance to win a physical match, but just came up short in making enough plays."

After dropping the first frame, 25-18, Western forced its longest period of play during the second, which went into extra points. Peyton Bowman was a notable spark on the attacking end (four kills) in the stretch, as she and WIU's other hitters played a significant role in tallying points to keep the Leathernecks nearby on the scoreboard. However, the nail-biting set eventually went to SDSU, 31-29. 

WIU started well in the third, 5-1 before the Jackrabbits bounced back to take a 10-9 lead. The margin remained close for a lengthy time, with SDSU making two challenges at different points, and an Emma Norris kill put Western slightly ahead, 23-22. Two more final kills by the fifth-year gave Western its first set win of the day, 26-24.

Set four was similar to the previous two -- full of tied scores, as Bowman, Norris, and Aubrey Putman all provided balanced play. After trailing 19-16, the Leathernecks pieced together a 9-3 run to take the period, 25-22. The same aforementioned trio of Western hitters all contributed heavily to force a fifth set.

Being up for grabs by either team, set five started off tightly played with scrambling rallies. Kalynn Davis made a handful of big plays as her squad trailed 7-4. Putman tied the score again, 10-10, with a punch, but SDSU took over on a 5-0 final run for the match victory.

Bowman (11 kills and 11 blocks) and Maggie Craker (40 assists and 14 digs) led the way with double-doubles for the Leathernecks. Bowman also posted a .360 hitting clip. Norris added 11 kills of her own, along with nine digs. Kennedy Davis registered nine kills and six blocks. Karli Wenzel's 24 digs were a team-best.

One final week of regular-season road matches is up next for WIU. The Leathernecks visit Oral Roberts on Thursday (Nov. 11) and Kansas City on Saturday (Nov. 13).