WHO: Murray State | Austin Peay | Saint Louis

WHEN: September 5-6

WHERE: St. Louis, MO (Chaifetz Pavilion)

Last Time Out: The Leathernecks competed in the CEFCU Tournament hosted by the Bradley Braves last weekend, falling in all three matches. WIU opened on Friday, dropping three sets to Quinnipiac. Keyana Cruse led the Leathernecks with fifteen kills. WIU returned to the court on Saturday afternoon, falling to UT Arlington in four sets before falling to Bradley in three sets.

Chasing 1,000: Keyana Cruse is 41 kills away from hitting 1,000 with the Leathernecks. Cruse is also 134 digs away from hitting 1,000 digs in her time at Western.  

New Faces: WIU welcomes eight new faces to the 2025 squad. Kiyah Franklin transfers into WIU from Youngstown State. In her four years as a Penguin, Franklin totaled 301 kills and over 75 blocks, playing well in 62 matches. Alysia Perez also transferred into WIU after spending her freshman season at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Head Coach Dale Starr also welcomes six freshmen from five different states. Mount Sterling native Ashlee Markert and Martyna Sowiak both come from Illinois. Jaleah Bauss travels north from Texas. Aubrey Pender joins the Leathernecks from Arkansas. Caroline Clayton travels east from Kansas, and Ella Haines travels south from Wisconsin. 

Returning Stars: Senior Keyana Cruse leads the nine Western Illinois returners. Cruse led the team in points (590), kills (519), sets played (114), matches started (30), and leads all returners in digs with 463 and blocks at 72. In all ten sets played, Cruse led with 37 kills. Elizabeth Ziegler returns to the right side for WIU. The Sandusky, Ohio native appeared in all 30 matches last season, playing in 114 sets. Ziegler posted a career high with 260 kills last year. 

Ohio Valley Polls: Western Illinois was predicted to finish 6th in the preseason polls. This is the highest preseason projection for WIU since joining the Ohio Valley Conference. Last year's OVC regular season champion SEMO sits atop the preseason poll with 194 points, claiming 15 out of the 22 first-place votes. Lindenwood and Tennessee Tech both received first-place votes as well.

Players to Watch: Outside hitters Keyana Cruse and Kennedy Adair both earned All-OVC Preseason Honors. Cruse was named to the All-OVC Preseason team. Junior Kennedy Adair was named as a player to watch for WIU. 

Scouting Murray State: Murray State is selected to finish tenth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) after finishing with a 14-13 overall record and a 9-9 mark in conference play. The Racers are led by MVC Preseason All-MVC Team Player Ella Vogel. Vogel ended the last regular season second in the MVC in kills with 431 and an average of 3.92.  

Scouting Austin Peay: Austin Peay finished the 2024 season at 2-26, with a 1-15 conference record.  Austin Peay was ranked 12th in the Atlantic Sun Conference. 

Scouting Saint Louis: Saint Louis finished last season with an 11-20 overall record. The Bilikens concluded their 2024 season with a 6-12 record, finishing 8th in the A10 conference. In the Atlantic 10 conference 2025 Preseason Polls, the Bilikens ranked 6th. 

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