Husky Invitational

Friday, Aug. 27 - Western Illinois vs. Northern Illinois (10 a.m.)

Friday, Aug. 27 - Western Illinois vs. William & Mary (5 p.m.)

Saturday, Aug. 28 - Western Illinois vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Noon)

*Hosted by: Northern Illinois University

Where: Dekalb, Ill. (Victor E. Court)

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Quick Hits

• Western Illinois volleyball starts up its fall 2021 season on Friday (Aug. 27), following an unprecedented spring campaign that included a 17-match schedule

• The Leathernecks open up the first of four road tournaments, taking an in-state trip to Dekalb for Northern Illinois' Husky Invitational. Five total teams have been invited for a two-day event

• In one of its final weekends during the 2020-21 season, Western impressively defeated North Dakota in a two-match weekend showdown on its home floor (March 19-20). It marked the first-ever program victories over the Fighting Hawks

• WIU returns the bulk of its roster, as 12 of the team's 17 players are back.

Most Recently …

Western got on the road last Thursday afternoon (Aug. 19) for its lone exhibition contest of the fall. A visit to the Saint Louis Billikens took place, which went four sets.

After dropping the first set by narrow digits, the Leathernecks stayed competitive to win the second. A handful of errors by Saint Louis led to a late, comfortable lead for WIU, finished by a Kaitlyn Morgan kill. Kennedy Davis netted three kills during that period, with four teammates also contributing two each.

Davis led the offense with 12 kills -- the only WIU player to reach double-figures. In her first taste of collegiate competition, Maggie Craker finished with 13 assists while Jessie Connell had a team-high 17. Aubrey Putman and Brittany Wulf added six kills apiece, with the latter notching seven digs and two service aces. Over on the defensive end, Peyton Bowman led all players in blocks, tallying six. Erika Moore completed ten digs.

Western's freshmen and sophomores combined for 35 kills, 37 assists, and 42 digs.

Who's Back?

A trio of Bowman, Moore, and Emma Norris will lead the way as seniors -- each of the three contributed heavily throughout this past season. Bowman led the team in hitting percentage (.302), which was good for fourth-best in the Summit League, and ranked first on WIU in both solo blocks (12) and assisted blocks (40). Moore appeared in all 17 matches and finished second in service aces (13) within the team. One of Western's highest leapers, Norris ranked fourth on the team in kills (116) and points scored (128.0) during 2020-21.

Another group of three - Connell, Gabby DePersio, and Putman - step into the mold as juniors. Named a 2020-21 Summit League Preseason Player to Watch, DePersio started at libero for the second straight season and led her squad with 215 digs. She ultimately finished at tenth for Summit League individuals in that category. Connell placed second on the team in assists (145), while Putman finished second in kills (134) and points scored (150.0) for Western. The Iowa native also stood out defensively, ending third in team digs (147).

Six sophomores round out WIU's starting core - Isabella Biesterfeld, Kalynn Davis, Kennedy Davis, Kaitlyn Morgan, Ashley Poland, and Erin Rosdahl. Each will look to build upon her first year of college action. Kennedy started 14 of 16 matches as a freshman and was second in solo blocks (10).

Welcome to Western!

Five new faces have arrived in Macomb as first-years. Craker, Wulf, Isabella LaCoco, Hailey Pollock, and Karli Wenzel give the Leathernecks additional firepower with size, versatility, and on-court vision.

"We are excited that these incredible young women have joined us," said WIU volleyball head coach Ben Staupe. "They check all of the boxes we look for both academically and athletically. Their contagious competitive spirit, toughness, and work ethic will make them a big part of our next step forward as a program. They all come from great families and will only help to strengthen our team and community here in Macomb."

A Brief History

It has been a while since WIU and Northern Illinois faced off, with the most recent matchup on Sept. 4, 2013. During that night, NIU won in five sets back and currently holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series.

These will be the first meetings for WIU against William & Mary and Cal State Bakersfield.

Scouting the Opposition

Northern Illinois posted an 8-14 record this past spring. Katie Jablonski returns as one of the Huskies' top hitters, having punched a team-leading 233 kills during 2020-21. The junior was also second in digs (204). Grace Balensiefer was the leader in assists (782), and Samantha Juarez paced the defense with 301 digs. NIU had a 178.5-158 advantage in blocks versus its opponents.

William & Mary played an eight-game season in 2020-21, going 3-5. Kate Van Houten enjoyed a breakout spring leading the team and finishing second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with 352 assists; 10.35 assists per set. Julia Brown is a returning All-CAA player who totaled a .287 hitting percentage to rank first on the Tribe and sixth in the league. A 5'8" libero, Anna Porter anchored the defense with 157 digs to lead the team and rank fifth in the conference. She was third in the CAA with 4.62 digs per set. Senior Madeleine Bertz played in all eight matches, ending second on the team with 16 blocks and 0.48 blocks per set.

Cal State Bakersfield's 2020-21 indoor season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Roadrunners went 9-19 overall back in 2019.

What's Next?

After the tournament, Western will prepare for another road trip to the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Hampton Inn Invitational (Sept. 3-4).