MACOMB, Ill. - It was an evening full of cheers, hard hits, and high-soaring action on Friday night (March 19) in Western Hall. Defending its home court against North Dakota (2-13, 2-11), Western Illinois volleyball (1-13, 1-12) played heady to finish on the winning side. A disciplined focus and competitive edge helped the group win 3-1 (25-19, 25-10, 15-25, 25-18).
It was the first win against North Dakota in program history, as WIU was 0-4 in the all-time series entering Friday's match.
"It felt great to get a win here at home," said WIU head volleyball coach Ben Staupe. "I was so proud of our kids and the fierce play they showed. We'll have to reset and get ready for another tough test tomorrow!"
Set one stayed close for most of its duration, as Aubrey Putman netted a kill to put Western up 9-8. Emma Norris gave her Leathernecks a slight advantage, 14-10, but three unanswered points from UND helped it retake the lead 17-16. Two service aces by Cassie Hunt played a huge difference in swinging the momentum towards WIU's way again: 21-18. A final 4-0 run closed out the first, with Western on top.
WIU jumped out 11-2 in set two and would not look back. Peyton Bowman especially commanded the floor during the period, totaling four kills in five attacks. Putman also erupted on a small spurt of her own during the frame's final possessions and swatted a high kill to reach set point, 24-10. UND tried to deliver one more attack but was unsuccessful.
Similar to the first, set three began with a tightly-played tempo. A lefty attack by Mitchell had Western trailing 11-10. North Dakota found some breathing room to take a six-point lead, 21-16, and finished four more opportunities for the period win.
Another Bowman kill had WIU ahead 10-5 in the fourth. WIU's hitters kept the Fighting Hawks' defense on its toes for the remainder of the night as strong punches continued to be delivered all over the floor. Again, Putman placed the Leathernecks at set point, 24-17, and a service error by UND officially finished out the evening in Western's favor.
Norris tallied a new season-high in kills (13), while Bowman and Mitchell added ten apiece. Hunt racked up her fifth double-double of the season - 20 assists and 18 digs. Jessie Connell contributed 18 assists, and her classmate Putman poured in six kills and 13 digs. Gabby DePersio made several big defensive plays, finishing with 17 digs. As a team, the Leathernecks had more kills, assists, aces, and blocks than UND.
Western continues series play at the same time and place tomorrow - 5 p.m. in Western Hall for match two of the series.
