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Western Illinois Heads to Cougar Classic

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

WIU opens up OVC play on Saturday night

Who:  Western Illinois vs. Milwaukee | Idaho| SIUE

When: Friday (Sept. 8) & Saturday (Sept. 9)

Where: Edwardsville, Ill

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

Last Time Out | Western Illinois fell in all three matches of the Popcorn Classic hosted by Valparaiso. The Leathernecks opened the tournament, dropping the opening match in straight sets to the host Valpo on Friday morning. WIU would return to the court on Saturday morning, falling in four sets to Oakland and then in five sets to Eastern Michigan

Opening OVC Play | Western Illinois will battle SIUE in the final game of the Cougar Classic. That matchup will mark the first OVC conference competition for any Western Illinois Athletic team.

Providing A Spark | Kennedy Bauer provided a spark for the Western Illinois offense on Saturday. The senior from Watseka, IL, had 25 kills over two games and hit .328 in the eight sets she played. Bauer also had 20 digs on the defensive side, including a 14 dig performance against Oakland to help her with a 14 kill 14 dig double.

Putting the Offense on Cruse | Keyana Cruse is making a name for herself in purple and gold. After having an opening weekend where she had 16 kills, she responded with 33 kills over the three matches in the Popcorn Classic. Cruse averaged three kills per set, helping the Leathernecks to 35.5 points over the weekend.

Serving Success | Western Illinois had double-digit service aces over the weekend. The Leathernecks were led by freshman Kaitlyn Wickersheim, who led the team with five. Brittany Wulf and Karli Wenzel had three, with Keyana Cruse having two. WIU averaged over one ace per set.

Dishing Out Assists | Maggie Craker handed out assists over the weekend. The Chippewa Falls native had 99 assists over the three games, including a season-high 42 assists against Eastern Michigan.

Digging Everything | Karli Wenzel was a defensive specialist over the weekend. The junior libero locked down the back line with 53 digs. Wenzel averaged over 4.4 digs per set well, also dishing out 12 assists.

Scouting Milwaukee | Milwaukee comes into the third weekend of play with a 3-4 overall record and is currently riding a three-match win streak. Ari Miller was named Horizon League player of the week. Miller had an offensive output with 49 kills over 15 sets and had a hitting percentage of .412.

Scouting Idaho | Idaho travels to the Cougars Classic with a 1-5 overall record. Zuzanna Wieczorek leads the Vandals offense with 40 kills this season. Wieczorek averages 2.11 kills per set and is hitting at a team-high .225 percent.

Scouting SIUE | SIUE enters their home tournament with a 1-5 overall record. The Cougars have their lone victory against Eastern Michigan, winning in four sets. SIUE has three players who have over 43 kills on the season. Julia Treichel leads the way for them with 49 kills, averaging just over two kills per set. SIUE was predicted to finish 8th in the OVC.
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