MACOMB, IL - Western Illinois volleyball bounced back on Saturday afternoon, defeating SIUE 3–1 inside First Community Arena. The victory moves the Leathernecks to 4–13 overall and 1–3 in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Set One
Western Illinois opened the afternoon in gritty fashion, battling through nine ties and seven lead changes to claim the first frame. After trailing 22–20, the Leathernecks stormed back behind kills from Kennedy Adair and Keyana Cruse, then capitalized on a service ace from Madelyn Norton to earn set point. Cruse sealed the comeback with a kill to take it 26–24 and give WIU a 1–0 lead.

Set Two
SIUE responded quickly in the second set, using efficient hitting to pull ahead early and never look back. Despite strong defensive efforts from Adair and Hillary Estes, the Leathernecks dropped the set 25–15 as SIUE evened the match.

Set Three
The third set mirrored the intensity of the opener, featuring 15 ties and several long rallies. Western leaned on strong serving and clean passing to keep the Cougars off balance, with Elizabeth Ziegler, Adair, and Cruse each contributing key kills. Late in the frame, the Leathernecks held off a late SIUE push and closed out another 26–24 win to regain control of the match.

Set Four
With the match on the line, Western delivered its most complete performance of the afternoon. A balanced attack led by Cruse, Adair, and Ashlee Markert powered the Leathernecks to an early advantage. Norton and Alysia Perez guided a steady offense, while the front line combined for key blocks down the stretch. A late kill by Cruse, followed by an ace from Perez secured the 25–22 win and the match, clinching WIU's first OVC victory of the season.

Western Illinois goes back on the road next weekend to continue Ohio Valley Conference play against UT Martin.