Who | Western Illinois (4-22, 3-12) at Oral Roberts (15-8, 9-5) and Kansas City (17-9, 8-6)

When | Thursday, Nov. 11 - 7 p.m. CT (at Oral Roberts) and Saturday, Nov. 13 - 1 p.m. CT (at Kansas City)

Where | Tulsa, Okla. (Cooper Aerobics Center) and Kansas City, Mo. (Swinney Recreation Center)

Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Quick Hits

• The final two weeks of the 2021 regular season have arrived for Western Illinois volleyball, as the team visits Oral Roberts and Kansas City later this week.

• This week will include the last pair of road matches for WIU in the regular season.

• The Leathernecks are coming off one of their most competitive matches of the year -- a five-set loss to South Dakota State.

• Three underclassmen -- Maggie Craker, Kennedy Davis, and Karli Wenzel -- continue to lead Western in four major stat categories.

• Oral Roberts and Kansas City stand fourth and fifth in Summit League standings, respectively.

Most Recently … | Taking one of the Summit League's most dangerous offensive teams, Western welcomed South Dakota to Macomb last Thursday (Nov. 4). The final result went to the visiting Coyotes in three sets (23-25, 24-26, 17-25). Emma Norris' 11 kills were a team-best and the fifth-year's second-highest mark of the season. Maggie Craker added a double-double of 23 assists and 11 digs. Peyton Bowman had seven kills, while a trio of Leathernecks added four apiece. Karli Wenzel led the defense with 15 digs.

Sunday afternoon (Nov. 7) became an absolute thriller between WIU and South Dakota State 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 frames (18-25, 29-31, 26-24, 25-22, 10-15). Bowman (11 kills and 11 blocks) and 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. Wenzel's 24 digs were a team-best.

Still Within Rankings | Kennedy Davis has maintained her place as a standout Summit individual all season long in hitting percentage -- the sophomore ranks eighth with a .307 clip. Peyton Bowman stands just outside of the individual top ten within that same category, placing 11th and carrying a .282 percentage. Over in blocks, Bowman ranks fourth (1.11/set). Maggie Craker remains seventh in assists (7.56/set), and Karli Wenzel is ninth in digs (3.54). 

A Brief History | The Leathernecks trail in the all-time series versus Oral Roberts (41-6) but hold a 25-19 advantage over the Kansas City Roos. Last month, Western was swept in home contests versus both teams.

Scouting the Opposition | Sakira LaCour of ORU has been one of the league's top hitters (.360 percentage) and leads all individuals in blocks per set (1.37). The Golden Eagles have outperformed their opponents in every major statistical category. Trinity Freeman leads the offense with 225 kills, while Bryanne Soares is first and second on the squad in assists (812) and service aces (18). 

Three Kansas City players fall in the top two of separate league individual columns: Maddie Renn (1st in digs), Alli Schomers (1st in assists), and Kennedy Schritenthal (2nd in service aces). Melanie Brecka (353 kills) and De'Janae Arnold (81.0 blocks) are two additional anchors on the offensive and defensive end, respectively. Like ORU, the Roos have bested their opponents in kills, assists, aces, and digs. 

What's Next? | The regular-season finale takes place on Nov. 20 for Western, as the Leathernecks will hold 'Senior Day' prior to a 1 p.m. match time.