2021 Colonel Challenge

Friday, Sept. 10 - Western Illinois vs. Western Carolina (9 a.m.)

Friday, Sept. 10 - Western Illinois vs. Eastern Kentucky (5 p.m.)

Saturday, Sept. 11 - Western Illinois vs. New Mexico State (10 a.m.)

*Hosted by: Eastern Kentucky

Where: Richmond, Ky. (McBrayer Arena)

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Quick Hits

• Western Illinois volleyball jumps right back into tournament play later this week, traveling to Eastern Kentucky's Colonel Challenge for two days of competition (Sept. 10-11)

• This weekend will be the third of four regular-season tournaments for WIU

• Last week, Western partook in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Hampton Inn Invitational. Facing Toledo, IUPUI, and Chattanooga, the Leathernecks went to five sets against the latter two foes

• Sophomore Kennedy Davis has earned all-tournament honors in the first two invitationals that WIU has played in this fall.

Most Recently … | On day one of the Hampton Inn Invitational (Sept. 3), WIU fell to Toledo in three sets (15-25, 18-25, 8-25). Kennedy Davis had six kills, while Emma Norris added five. Maggie Craker chipped in 10 assists, and Erika Moore added 11 digs. Norris and Aubrey Putman contributed five digs.

Day two saw Western step up to one of its biggest challenges of the season thus far. Taking on the tournament host, IUPUI, the Leathernecks battled to the end before losing in five sets (11-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-12). Norris fell just short of a double-double, posting ten kills and nine digs. Putman added 11 kills and eight digs. Ashley Poland's three service aces was a season-high. Hailey Pollock had four kills and assisted on four blocks. Five Leathernecks ended with eight or more digs, as Moore led the way with 16. Western tied with IUPUI in total blocks (7).

In a 30-minute turnaround, WIU regrouped for a tournament closer versus Chattanooga, which went another five sets. The Mocs ended victorious (18-25, 25-23, 25-10, 21-25, 9-15), but the admirable effort shown by a non-fully loaded WIU roster was noteworthy. Several players set single-match career-highs during the match:

- Kalynn Davis in kills (14).

- Kennedy Davis in service aces (four) and tied her mark in blocks (7).

- Jessie Connell in assists (41) and digs (16). She reached her fifth career double-double.

- Karli Wenzel in digs (19).

Kennedy was named to the Holiday Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team -- her second all-tournament honor in as many weeks.

Summit Marks | As a team, WIU currently places in the top portion of a few Summit League rankings: second in kills per set (12.86), fourth in assists per set (11.43), and third in digs per set (14.64).

For individuals, Peyton Bowman ranks within the top ten in both hitting percentage (.346) and kills per set (2.90). Connell sits at seventh in assists per set (5.60), and Moore is eleventh in digs per set (3.12).

A Brief History | WIU and Western Carolina have only met once - a Sept. 11, 1999 matchup that saw the Leathernecks win in four sets at a neutral site.

Eastern Kentucky holds a 4-1 lead over Western in the all-time series, having won the last four occasions. The two last faced on Sept. 13, 2014.

The slight series between New Mexico State and WIU has been scattered, with only two meetings in Sept. 1989 and Sept. 2002. The Aggies won both contests at neutral locations.

Scouting the Opposition | Holding a record of 2-3, Western Carolina has played in Davidson's Wildcat Classic and the Grand Canyon Invitational during the season's first two weeks. Merry Gebel is the team leader in kills (57), while Julia Gardon and MaKenzie White have chipped in 37 total. Sydney Carlson and Destinee Dorsey pace the Catamounts in assists (123) and digs (101), respectively. Johnna Robinson has totaled 33 blocks. This past Sunday, she and Gebel were named to the Grand Canyon Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 5).

Eastern Kentucky is off to a 1-5 overall start. One of the team's most efficient hitters, Mikayla Logan, has tallied 51 kills on a .369 attacking percentage. Molly Michalak's 69 kills are a team-high. Taylor Grinley has handed out 194 assists, and Sydney Schoen has collected 96 digs. EKU is averaging 11.8 kills per set and 13.2 digs per set.

New Mexico State sits at a 3-3 overall clip. The Aggies have out-dug their opponents, 389-367. Shaney Lipscomb and Katie Birtcil have registered 69 and 62 kills, respectively. Carly Aigner-Swesey leads all players in assists (142), while Darian Markham is first in digs (118).

What's Next? | One final tournament before league play is set for WIU -- the 2021 Cougar Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.