Who | SIUE
Where | Macomb, IL.
When | Friday (Sept. 27), Saturday (Sept. 28) | 6:00 PM & 12:00 PM
Social Media | @WIUVolleyball (Twitter) + wiu_volleyball (Instagram) + WIU Volleyball (Facebook)
Macomb, IL - The Western Illinois Volleyball team returns to Western Hall after being on the road for the last two weeks. The Leathernecks have won their last four matches going back to the final match of the UND Classic and winning all three matches at the Buc Dome Invitational. During the win streak, the Leathernecks have swept every team in three sets, which is the first time that has happened since 1992. WIU will host the SIUE Cougars on Friday and Saturday to open year two of Ohio Valley Conference play.
Leading The Way
There are three Leathernecks that sit in the top five in the OVC in kills, assists, and digs. Maggie Craker currently ranks 4th in the OVC in total assists at 386 and also ranks 2nd in the OVC in assists per set (9.65). She has had 20 or more assists in 10 of the first 11 matches WIU has played. Craker is currently 5th all-time in career assists at WIU.
Karli Wenzel ranks 3rd in the OVC in total digs at 215 and is first in the OVC in digs per set (5.38). Wenzel won OVC Defensive Player of The Week on September 16th after finishing the UND Classic with 66 digs in 10 sets played (6.6 digs/s). She has had 15 or more digs in 10 of 11 matches played so far this season.
Keyana Cruse leads the OVC in total kills with 187 and also leads the OVC in kills per set (4.68), points (217.0), and points per set (5.43). Cruse has won three of the first four player of the week awards in the OVC, winning Defensive Player of the Week on September 2nd and winning Offensive Player of the Week on September 9th and September 23rd. She has had 10 or more kills in 9 of the first 11 matches played.
About SIUE
SIUE enters conference play with an overall record of 5-6. The Cougars have won four of their last five matches and are currently on a three-match winning streak. Last season, the Leathernecks defeated SIUE in 5 sets on their home floor for WIU's first ever OVC conference win. SIUE finished last season in 9th place in the OVC with a conference record of 7-11, just missing out on the conference tournament.
The Cougars are balanced offensively with three players having 95 or more kills on the season. Middle blocker Nicole Medlin leads SIUE in total kills with 100 (2.04 k/s) followed by outside hitters Ainsley Ranstead (2.02 k/s) and Sydney Hummert (2.71 k/s). Defensively, the Cougars are led by Defensive Specialist Oliva Hogan who has 145 digs on the season (3.09 dig/s) and Freshman Middle Blocker Taya Nordmann who has 61 blocks on the season (1.24 blk/s).
A look ahead
Following the two matches against SIUE, the Leathernecks will host Lindenwood on Tuesday, October 1 at 6 p.m. inside Western Hall. Two days later, WIU will hit the road to take on Tennessee Tech on October 3 and 4 in Cookeville, Tennessee. Both matches are set for 2 p.m.
Follow the Leathernecks
For all the latest information on Leatherneck Volleyball, please visit GoLeathernecks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Leathernecks on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
