MACOMB, IL- Western Illinois Volleyball fought through two matches on Friday, (Sep. 5) at the Chaifetz Pavilion, falling in a five-set match to Murray State in the morning before winning their afternoon match against Austin Peay in three sets. The Leathernecks move 1-4 on their season.

WIU vs Murray State

The Leathernecks opened their day at the SLU Tournament against Murray State in a five-set thriller.

The Racers took charge in the first set, pulling ahead with a strong run and holding off WIU 25-20.  In the second set, the Leathernecks respond by getting off to an early 12-8 lead. Unfortunately, the Racers battled back to gain the separation they needed to take the second set, 25-20. 

WIU offense jumped out to an early lead in the third set. Kills from Keyana Cruse, Caroline Clayton, and Elizabeth Ziegler saw the Leathernecks in front 7-5. WIU found their senior middle Grace Kremer late in set three as the Leathernecks took set three 25-19.

The Leathernecks rode the momentum into the fourth set. Kills from Hillary Estes and Kiyah Franklin gave WIU an early tie to the Racers with 2-2. Adair took over in the middle portion of set four with a pair of kills. Adair and Franklin finished off the set strong, but the Racers managed to win 26-24.

In the decisive fifth set, WIU would take the lead 5-2 before the Racers closed the gap with back-to-back kills at 8-7. Murray State would maintain the lead, eventually closing the match 15-12 in the final set. 

WIU vs Austin Peay

In their second match of the day, Western Illinois continued the SLU Tournament against the Austin Peay Governors.

WIU got off to a quick start in the first set, leading 7-1 after kills from Audrey Pender and Hillary Estes. Back-to-back kills by the Governors caught them up, bringing the score to 8-7. The Leathernecks turned to Cruse and Ziegler, who led the way for a 25-22 victory in the first set.

The second set stayed on the Leathernecks' side, with Adair and Kremer leading the way for an early 5-2 lead.  The Leathernecks kept the pressure on the Governors, riding the momentum to take set two, 25-15.

The third set proved to be the final of the day. Despite the Governors jumping out to an early lead, Keyana Cruse registered back-to-back kills, providing the Leathernecks a 3-2 lead. A kill by Audrey Pender saw WIU continue the lead 5-4. The Leathernecks, with the surge they needed to cruise to a 25-20 victory, finishing the day with a 3-0 win. 

Looking Ahead

The Leathernecks will go on to finish at the SLU Tournament Saturday (Sep. 6), facing Saint Louis. 

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.