Who:  Western Illinois vs Arkansas State | Missouri State

When: Friday (Sept. 15)

Where: Spring Field, MO

Social Media: @WIUVolleyball (Twitter) + wiu_volleyball (Instagram) + WIU Volleyball (Facebook)


Last Time Out | After falling on Friday night in five sets to Milwaukee, Western Illinois got on the winning track on Saturday. The Leathernecks opened Saturday morning, defeating Idaho in four sets for their first win of the season. WIU stayed on track on Saturday night against SIUE. Western Illinois split the first four sets before taking the fifth to claim its first Ohio Valley Conference win.

Starting On Track | Western Illinois's win against SIUE on Saturday night marked the first OVC win in program history, and the first OVC win for any team on the Western Illinois campus. WIU's win against SIUE also marked the first conference win for the Leathernecks since Nov. 20, 2021.

Putting the Offense on Cruse | Keyana Cruse did not slow down in her impressive start for WIU. The Bonner Springs native put together 64 kills, hitting at a .274 percentage. She also contributed ten blocks to help her contribute 70 points on the weekend. Keyana's stat line from the weekend earned her OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Blocking in the Middle | Julianna Schmidt was a force to be reckoned with over the weekend. The middle blocker got 20 blocks on the weekend, including back-to-back matches with nine total blocks.

Dishing out Assists | Maggie Craker had another impressive weekend in the setter role. The junior from Chippewa Falls dished out 122 assists, averaging over 8.5 assists per set. Craker set a new career high with 45 assists against Milwaukee, also posting 40+ kills against SIUE.

Taking Advantage of Opportunities | Kennedy Adair took advantage of her limited time on the court. The freshman from Macomb provided a personal 4-0 run against Idaho with four straight kills. Adair set new highs in kills (6), points (7), digs (4), and blocks (2).

Scouting Arkansas State | Arkansas State comes into the weekend with a 7-2 record. The Red Wolves went 2-1 last weekend, defeating Southern Illinois and Alabama A&M in straight sets. Arkansas State's lone loss came to OVC foe Eastern Illinois in three sets.

Scouting Missouri State | Missouri State is set to host their second tournament of the season. The Bears come into the weekend with a 4-5 record after dropping all three matches last weekend at the Hawkeye Invitational.