EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Arriving in Edwardsville for its last tournament showing before Summit League play begins, Western Illinois volleyball (1-9, 0-0) faced Valparaiso (8-2, 0-0) for a Friday late-morning matchup (Sept. 17). The Crusaders totaled a .223 team hitting percentage en route to a 3-0 match win.

After a 5-0 start from Valparaiso in set one, Aubrey Putman helped WIU get rolling on a kill that was followed up with a service ace. Kalynn and Kennedy Davis teamed up on a block to make the score sit at 8-4, with Western trailing. A 9-3 run put the Crusaders ahead 17-7, and lasting kills put an end to the first period on a 25-11 clip.

Isabella Biesterfeld stepped on the court to become a spark plug for WIU in the second. The sophomore tallied a pair of kills as the Leathernecks took an 8-4 lead. Western's crew of hitters steadied the offensive attack before Valparaiso tied things at 13 even. The two teams traded kills and errors for the ensuing possessions, with Biesterfeld and Kennedy Davis mainly leading WIU. However, a final attacking mistake put the cap on a 25-19 decision completed by Valparaiso.

Kalynn Davis punched a kill to even the score at 4-4 in set three, and several errors by the Crusaders helped Western take a 9-5 advantage. The score soon became tied up on three occasions before Valparaiso used a 6-1 run to surge ahead 18-12, resulting in a Leatherneck timeout. Committing three errors down the stretch, the Crusaders put up a 25-18 win to finish out Friday in a sweep.

Biesterfeld's six kills were a single-match, career-high that also tied for a team-best (with Kennedy Davis). Maggie Craker's 22 assists led all players, and the first-year also chipped in eight digs. Kalynn Davis produced five kills, five digs, and six blocks. Defensively, Erika Moore had 14 digs, and Hailey Pollock added three blocks.

Western has one more match in the Cougar Invitational tomorrow (Sept. 18), taking on the host team -- Southern Illinois-Edwardsville -- at 12 p.m. CT.