MACOMB, IL- The Western Illinois Volleyball team dropped a four-set battle against Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Pavilion. The Billikens took the match 3–1, the loss putting the Leathernecks at 1-5 overall this season.

SET 1
The opening set stayed tight throughout, featuring five ties and three lead changes. Western Illinois trailed 15-12 midway through but responded with a pair of kills from Kennedy Adair and Hillary Estes to close the gap. Late in the frame, Keyana Cruse added a kill to tie the score at 21-21, and Adair followed with another swing to put the Leathernecks in the lead. Despite the push, Saint Louis held on to take the first set 25-23.

SET 2
The Leathernecks jumped out early behind kills from Cruse and Kiyah Franklin to go ahead 4-1. Western continued to battle as Cruse delivered two more kills to tie the score at 8-8. The set stayed within two points the rest of the way, with WIU tying it again at 22-22 after back-to-back digs turned into points. Saint Louis closed with three of the final four rallies, edging the Leathernecks 25-22 in the second frame.

SET 3
Western Illinois responded with its strongest set of the match, hitting .310 as a team. Cruse and Adair combined for key swings as the Leathernecks built a 20-18 lead. The set featured 13 ties and five lead changes before WIU broke through in extra points. After a big block at the net and a kill from Adair, the Leathernecks sealed a 26-24 win to extend the match.

SET 4
The fourth set opened evenly, with kills from Franklin, Adair, and Cruse tying the score at 7-7. After a Saint Louis run pushed the margin to 12-9, the Leathernecks responded behind an Adair kill and a Bauss ace to cut it to 14-13. The Billikens answered with a 6-1 stretch to create separation at 20-14, and despite late kills from Cruse and Franklin, WIU fell 25-17 in the final frame

Keyana Cruse led the Leathernecks with 14 kills and 16 digs, recording her fourth double-double of the season, and hitting 1,000 kills in her time as a Leatherneck. Kennedy Adair reached double figures with 10 kills while hitting .206. Setter Jaleah Bauss handed out 20 assists and added five service aces to pace the offense. Defensively, Karlie Lane collected a team-high 19 digs, and Grace Kremer anchored the net with six blocks.

As a team, WIU finished with 39 kills, seven service aces, and 10 total blocks, while holding Saint Louis under .200 hitting in the match.

Western Illinois will return to action next weekend as they travel to the Evansville tournament, facing Morehead State, Evansville, and Alabama-Birmingham.

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