Ohio Valley Conference

INDIANAPOLIS - SIUE volleyball opened their 2024 season with two matches at the IU-Indy Tournament on Friday. The Cougars took beat Eastern Michigan in the Morning but fall to Valparaiso later in the evening. 
 
SIUE went three straight sets in their first match of the day, with scores of 25-22, 25-13, 25-20. SIUE had a hitting percentage of .337 in this first game, with one player hitting double digit kills and two not far behind. SIUE moves to 5-3 in season openers under the direction of Head Coach Kendall Paulus.
 
SIUE went all five sets against the Valparaiso Beacons. The Cougars went strong in the first set, winning 25-21 hitting .179 percent in the first set. Valparaiso takes control in the second and third sets scores being 26-24 and 25-22. Cougars fight back in the fourth set (23-25) before falling in the fifth set to the Beacons (16,14).

THE CITADEL 3, UT MARTIN 0
UT MARTIN 3, GRAMBLING 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad split its opening day of matches to start the 2024 season, falling in five sets (21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 11-15) to The Citadel before rebounding for a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-18) against Grambling State at the Crimson Tide Invitational.
           
Freshman Kylie Surratt paced the Skyhawks offensively in both matches, piling up 28 kills while adding 22 digs. Jenna Vallée trailed closely behind with 26 kills and 31 digs on her way to back-to-back double-doubles. Kristin Phillips hit a scorching .472 with 20 kills (only three errors in 36 attempts) while Katie Cruise tallied two double-doubles on the way to a final stat line of 82 assists, 28 digs and team-highs of five blocks and five service aces.
           
Defensively, Dylan Mott accumulated 43 digs while Phillips equaled Cruise with a team-best five blocks for UT Martin.
           
UT Martin gave the defending Southern Conference champions a run but the Skyhawk comeback came up just short in a match that featured 26 tie scores and 14 lead changes.
           
The opening set was knotted at 14-all but the Bulldogs (27-4 in 2023) rallied to win five of the final seven points. Mott collected eight of her match-high 25 scoops in the opening set alone to guide UT Martin.
           
The Skyhawks battled back from a 7-2 deficit to lead 23-20 in the second stanza. However, the Citadel was able to piece together the final five points to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Cruise was an all-around standout for UT Martin in Set 2, compiling two kills, eight assists, two digs and three blocks (two solo).
           
In the third set, the Skyhawks sided out at 63 percent (12-for-19) and held the Bulldogs to a paltry .022 attack percentage. UT Martin wrapped up the set on an 11-3 run, reeling off the final six points – including a pair of Cruise service aces. Leading the way offensively for the Skyhawks was Surratt, who was responsible for four of her 13 kills on a .300 hitting percentage.
           
UT Martin used that momentum to even the match at 2-all, flipping a 15-12 fourth-set deficit into a 25-23 winner. For the second straight set, Kayla Bryant delivered the clinching point with a kill while Vallée paced the Skyhawks with four kills (on a .300 attack percentage) and eight digs in the fourth stanza.
           
The Bulldogs started the fifth set on a 6-1 run but UT Martin clawed back to even the score four times, the latest coming at 11-all. However, The Citadel scored the final four points to hang on for the win. Bryant tallied three of the Skyhawks' six kills in the last set.
 
UT Martin shook off a slow start to claim the final three sets, hitting .284 in that span to take down Grambling State.
           
The Skyhawks trailed by four points early in the first set but came back to tie the score at 16-16. However, the Tigers posted five of the final six points to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vallée contributed four kills in the first set for UT Martin.
           
Things started to click for the Skyhawks in the second set as UT Martin hit a brisk .325 (17 kills against four errors) in 40 tries. Vallée (six kills, .333), Surratt (five kills, .400) and Cruise (12 assists) as the Skyhawks led by as many as 10 points down the stretch. Vallée had three kills out of the final five points, including the clincher to even the match at 1-1.
           
There were 14 ties and six lead changes in the third set but it was UT Martin who came out on top as kills from Cruise and Phillips broke a 23-23 deadlock and gave the Skyhawks the 2-1 edge in the match. Phillips had six kills with no errors in 12 attacks (.500 hitting percentage) while Cruise assisted on 13 of UT Martin's 16 kills.
           
The Skyhawks dug out of an early hole in the fourth stanza thanks to a 16-7 run that essentially clinched the match. Phillips remained hot with four kills in five swings (.800 hitting percentage) while Surratt tacked on team-highs of four kills and four digs for UT Martin, who led by as many as seven points in the waning moments of the fourth set.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, ST. THOMAS 1
DEPAUL 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 2
PEORIA, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-1) kicked off the 2024 campaign in style at the Renaissance Coliseum on Friday morning winning three-straight sets (19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23) against the University of St. Thomas, 3-1. The Screaming Eagles finished the day with a narrow loss to a high-powered DePaul University, 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-22, 10-15) to open the season at the CEFCU Invitational, hosted by Bradley University.
 
The Eagles fell behind early as the Tommies landed the first blow, winning set one 25-19. Both teams went back and forth as senior Jasmine Green (Rockwall, Texas) tied it at 14-14. The Tommies erupted with an 11-5 late run to win the set and gain an early lead. USI made nine costly attacking errors. Sophomore Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) led the Eagles with four kills.
 
USI found their rhythm in set two, tying the match at one with a riveting 25-23 victory.  The Eagles used a variety of attackers as six different players contributed a kill. The match was knotted at 21, before sophomore Ashby Willis (Mount Carmel, Illinois) smashed two kills and a service ace to clinch the match. USI collected a set-high 19 kills. 
 
The Eagles found themselves down 14-20 in set three, before rattling off 11 straight points to win 25-20. The rally was sparked by forcing multiple attacking errors and two huge blocks from senior Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana).
 
USI won another close set to secure their first 2024 victory in four sets, winning 25-23. Green fired home six clutch kills in her return to the Renaissance Coliseum, coming to USI as a graduate senior from Bradley University. She had six kills in set four, finishing with a career-high 18 kills along with a stellar .517 hitting percentage in her USI debut. Coleman also played a huge role spiking a career-high 13 kills.
 
Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) started 2024 strong with a team-leading 49 assists. Junior Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) (28 digs) and Willis (22 digs) held down the fort defensively. Downing added five pivotal blocks as the team leader.
 
As a team, the Eagles tallied 61 kills off 58 assists along with 101 digs and 14 blocks. St. Thomas finished with 47 kills, 46 assists, 84 digs, and 18 blocks.
 
The Blue Demons took the early lead with a ferocious .205 attacking percentage, winning set one 25-23. USI started strong leading 8-3 off seven kills from Green and Willis. DePaul roared back taking advantage of nine USI errors.
 
USI earned the final three points of set two, tying the match at one, 25-21. Junior Jordan Troutman (Henderson, Kentucky) and Sobieralski combined for nine assists. Green emphatically finished two of her career-best 19 kills to clinch it. DePaul adjusted in set three holding the Eagles to six kills, winning 25-15. After three sets, Moore led USI defensively with 19 digs.
 
USI used another balanced attack as senior Lauren O'Neill (Covington, Indiana), sophomore Mariah Minor (Indianapolis, Indiana), Green, Anderson, Coleman, and Sobieralski all collected kills forcing a fifth match, 25-22. The Eagles ran out of steam in set five, dropping the final match 15-10.
 
Green was the offensive leader with another career-high performance of 19 kills. Sobieralski recorded a double-double with 24 assists and 18 digs, while Troutman came off the bench adding 18 assists and four service aces. Willis' 22 digs marked a career-high for the sophomore, along with Anderson leading the team in blocks with five. 

Both teams statistical totals were nearly identical as USI recorded 54 kills, 53 assists, 88 digs, and 14 blocks. The Blue Demons finished with 53 kills, 53 assists, 90 digs, and 16 blocks.

TENNESSEE TECH 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
TENNESSEE TECH 3, MEMPHIS 0
MEMPHIS - It was a historic start to the 2024 season for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday, as the Golden Eagles delivered back-to-back sweeps of in-state rivals Austin Peay and Memphis at the Carrier Yerty Classic.

The purple and gold opened the morning with a 3-0 victory over the Govs before returning to the court to take on tournament host Memphis in an evening affair at the Larry O. Finch Center. Another 3-0 romp provided the Golden Eagles with their first set of sweeps to open a season since the 1985 team defeated Evansville and South Alabama in a pair of 3-0 decisions.

Tech found its stride in the opening set while facing some adversity down the stretch. After seeing as much as a five-point lead evaporate as the Govs tied things at 22-22, Golden Eagle head coach Jeannette Phillips called a timeout to rally the troops.

A pair of Bella Powell kills sandwiched an Austin Peay attack error as the purple and gold rolled off three straight to take the first game 25-22.

In set two, the Cookeville crew slowly worked its way out ahead, eventually building a six-point advantage and never looking back on the way to a 25-20 victory and 2-0 lead. Set three was a battle at the start, with neither side able to pull away until late.

After a challenge by the Govs overturned a potentially critical point by the Golden Eagles and closed the lead to 15-14, Tech responded with five straight points. Another 3-0 run all but cemented the win for the purple and gold, an eventual 25-18 decision.

There was brilliant play to go around in the opener, with senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen leading the charge with an impressive 18 kills on a .244 attack. She added two service aces and five digs to the effort. Junior setter Jordan Karlen doled out 26 assists and piled up 14 digs to earn her first double-double of the year, chipping in three blocks on the side. Senior libero McKenna Young registered 15 digs to lead the Golden Eagles while contributing six helpers as well.

Making her collegiate debut in impressive fashion, middle blocker Mallory Jenkins chalked up seven terminations and five total blocks while hitting a solid .385. Fellow freshman Katie Green produced a pair of aces in her debut. Powell chipped in six kills and five blocks in the tilt.

It was a match of runs for the Golden Eagles against Memphis, with Tech's ability to string together points as the leading factor in the win. After trailing 15-14 in the first set of the evening, the purple and gold picked up three straight to move back in front following the media break.

Tech extended the lead with a five-point run later in the game to pull off an impressive 25-21 win to set the tone early. The Cookeville crew hit a robust .405 in the opening set, securing 17 kills and a pair of aces.

Moving on to set two, it was pure domination by the Golden Eagles from the start. Bursting out of the gate to the tune of an 8-2 lead, Tech continued to build on its advantage throughout the game without ever letting the Tigers back to within three points.

With 11 kills, three blocks, and 10 attack errors by Memphis, the purple and gold cruised to a 25-14 triumph to move out in front 2-0. The Tigers seemed to take the blowout personally, jumping on the Golden Eagles early in set three for a 7-2 lead.

Tech calmly and methodically worked its way right back into the set, however, squaring things at 8-8. Biding their time for the right moment to strike, the Golden Eagles finally broke away following a 17-17 stalemate, dropping four straight points with a trio of kills.

The momentum shift proved enough for Tech to lock down its second 3-0 win of the day with a 25-22 decision in the final set.

Again it was Isringhausen wrecking her way to the top of the kills list, piling up another 15 against the Tigers while hitting an eye-popping .382. She just missed out on her first double-double of the year, notching nine digs.

Karlen was a technician with the offense, distributing 34 assists with three kills of her own and five digs. Senior outside Brooke Amann played a critical role, particularly early in the match, securing eight kills and 12 digs overall. Powell turned in another eight kills of her own on an impressive .375 attack to go along with two blocks.

Senior middle blocker Emma Pabon smashed .500 with six kills and two blocks while senior libero Aleeya Jones dropped in three aces and nine digs. Young closed out her strong day with 13 more digs to lead to the match.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3, LINDENWOOD 2
LINDENWOOD 3, BELLARMINE 1
NORMAL, Ill. - Lindenwood women's volleyball went 1-1 on opening day of the season at the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic in Normal, Ill. The Lions started their season with a five-set loss against Central Michigan before battling back with a 3-1 victory over Bellarmine.

The Lions dropped their first match of the season on Friday in a close 3-2 battle against Central Michigan. The Lions threatened with a late comeback, but CMU finished the match in the fifth with set scores of 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 14-16.
 
Addy McAleer led the Lions offense with 21 kills hitting .085%. Lindenwood's offense struggled early with attacking errors resulting in the Lions trailing in the first two sets (39 errors in the match). McAleer also had 16 digs and two blocks defensively for her first double-double of the season.
 
Nyah Wilson and Ashley Geluck were the other two hitters with double digit kills. Wilson posted 13 kills against CMU while Geluck added 12. Wilson also finished with 16 digs for a double-double.
 
Allie Otten was the Lions' main setter against Central Michigan posting 51 assists. Last season, Otten only reached over 50 assists once throughout the entire season (54 at Tennessee Tech). Otten was also one of five Lions to record double digit digs with 12.
 
Libero Jessie Seidel was a force on defense registering 31 digs against the Chippewas. Lindenwood's defense had 91 digs against CMU. Last season's team only reached that mark one time throughout 2023. Geluck, Otten and Rebecca Janke also had solo blocks defensively.
 
After Central Michigan narrowly defeated the Lions in the first two sets, Lindenwood returned the favor in sets three and four. Wilson had 10 kills in sets three and four while McAleer added seven kills and nine digs.
 
The fifth set saw Lindenwood hold the advantage early getting as close to victory as leading 9-7. Central Michigan then rattled off three straight points to take over 10-9 and never gave the lead back up finishing the fifth set with a score of 16-14.

Lindenwood responded nicely in their second match of the day with a 3-1 victory over Bellarmine. The Lions hit .187 in the match and were helped with the Knights 17 service errors. The set scores were: 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19.

Anna Kramer and Janke led the Lions in match two with 11 kills each with both hitters being effective. Janke was second on the team in hitting percentage against Bellarmine with a .324% with 34 attacks and no errors while Kraemer hit .300%.

Geluck had herself another standout performance on Friday with her second straight match with 10+ kills. Geluck had 10 kills on 21 attacks with a team high .333% hitting percentage. Geluck and Janke also combined for five blocks in the middle.

Wilson was one kill shy of her second straight double-double. The senior outside hitter had nine kills and 12 assists with a team high two aces. Lindenwood had 49 kills during the match while Bellarmine had 50. Otten also added 37 assists and libero Seidel had a team high 16 digs.

Lindenwood took control of the match early on through the first two going up 2-0. Janke led the way in the first set with five of her 11 kills while Otten added 11 assists. Kraemer then added five kills of her own in the second while hitting .429.

After Bellarmine took the third set, Lindenwood finished with match with a 25-19 victory. The Lions held the Knights to a .081 hitting percentage through the final set. Bellarmine had six service errors in the final set.

ARKANSAS STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
SAINT LOUIS 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
JONESBORO, Ark. - Southeast Missouri Volleyball (0-2) dropped the first two matches of the A-State Invitational on Friday afternoon to the host, Arkansas State, and Saint Louis. The Redhawks fell 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, in the matches. 
 
Junior transfer Alandry Below finished the day with a team-best 27 assists over the two matches. 
 
Seven Redhawks, including Below, made their SEMO debut over the two matches.
 
The Redhawks dropped the first match of the afternoon in three sets as the Red Wolves won 25-20, 25-11, 25-14 in the first game of the A-State Invitational. 
 
As a team, SEMO was led in kills by freshman Marin Johnson and Ramiri Gardner with four kills apiece. The Redhawks totaled 19 kills as a team, with 16 errors, on 83 total attacks for a .036 hitting-percentage. 
 
Lexi Morse, Abby Johnson, Kennedey Johnson, Mackenzie Tucker, Holland Guilliams, Megan Holder, Alandry Below, Abbey Richman, Alaina Lester, and Marin Johnson recorded their first action in a SEMO uniform in Friday's first match. 
 
Redshirt junior Avery Torrey recorded a team-high two blocks to lead the defense as Morse and Gardner each chipped in a block apiece. 
 
Arkansas State was led by Haley Glunz who finished with nine kills on 13 total attacks for a .615 hitting-percentage as six Red Wolves finished with five kills or more. 
 
ASU out hit SEMO .364 to .036, respectively on five more attacks. 
 
A back-and-forth first set saw the Redhawks and Red Wolves tied at 18 all late in the first set. Trailing 20-18, a kill by Torrey cut the deficit to just a point before the Red Wolves put together a 4-1 run to get to set point. ASU took the first set 25-20. 
 
The final two sets were all ASU as the Red Wolves secured the 3-0 victory. 
 
SEMO dropped the second game of the day, 3-1, against the Bilikens on Friday evening. 
 
SEMO took the first set from the Bilikins 26-24, then dropped three sets in a row, 23-25, 22-25, 16-25.
 
The Redhawks hit at a higher percentage, .140 compared to SLU's .109 but the Bilikens recorded 53 kills to SEMO's 39.
 
Offensively Lucy Arndt, Abby Johnson, and Ramiri Gardner all notched double-digit kills for the Redhawks with 12 (.133), 11 (.176), and 10 (.526, respectively). Johnson and Gardner both recorded four blocks a piece as well. 
 
The freshman duo of Marin Johnson and Alaina Lester finished with a team-high three solo blocks.
 
SLU jumped out to an early 4 - 0 lead and the Redhawks couldn't dig out of the hole. SEMO got within two at the 6 - 8 mark but SLU would go on to score seven of the next ten points.
 
The Redhawks out blocked SLU 14 - 6 but the Billikens won the setting battle notching 53 assists compared to 39.
 
Junior Alandry Below dished out 19 assists to lead the Redhawks while Abby Lynn chalked up 39 assists for SLU.

LITTLE ROCK 3, TEXAS A&M - COMMERCE 1
LITTLE ROCK 3, TARLETON STATE 2
COMMERCE, Texas - Little Rock's 2024 season got off to a great start Friday at the Lion Invitational with a doubleheader sweep of host school Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State, setting up a Saturday showdown with in-state rival Central Arkansas to wrap up the two-day event tomorrow morning. Little Rock (2-0) dropped A&M-Commerce in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18) and turned around quickly to go the distance with Tarleton State, winning in five (19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 21-25, 15-10). Senior Jeila Fullerton recorded double-doubles in both contests, including her first 20-20 against Tarleton, notching career-highs in kills (23) and digs (20).
 
The Trojans were +22 in kills (57-35) against the Lions with Fullerton picking up her fifth career double-double and first since November 2022. She finished the match with 12 kills and 10 digs. Offensively, the Trojans were paced by Kaila Harris (13 kills, 3 aces), Sophia Garrido (9 kills), Bella Cherry (8 kills) and A'lanae Margaritha, who finished with 7 kills on .778 attacking. Kaylee Smith had a team-high 24 assists and Dariana Valencia finished with 23 assists and a pair of aces.
 
Defensively the Trojans were tough at the net, totaling 24 blocks in the match. Andrea Roman led the team with 28 digs, Rylee McClintock added 12 digs, and both Garrido and Smith had seven digs apiece. Harris had a team-high seven blocks, Cherry and Margaritha each had six blocks and Jaycee Kennedy had three blocks.
 
Fullerton, Harris and Valencia recorded new career-bests in the five-set win over the Texans. Harris finished with a double-double, including a career-best 14 kills to go with 11 digs, while Valencia added a 30-assist, 15-dig double-double, setting a new high mark for digs.
 
Offensively, Fullerton had her 23 kills on .254 hitting, Kennedy added seven kills (.583 pct) and Margaritha had seven kills (.467 pct) while Cherry added seven and Garrido had six. Smith had 27 assists and a pair of aces. On the defensive side, Roman posted 25 digs, Kennedy led the team with five blocks, and Margaritha and Cherry each added three blocks. Harris and Garrido each had a pair of blocks.

WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Despite a valiant effort, the Morehead State volleyball team fell to the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers 3-1 (16-25, 25-14, 20-25, 17-25) Friday as the teams opened a newly renovated Memorial Coliseum on Kentucky's campus.

The Bluegrass Battle tournament match was the season opener for both teams. MSU took set two against the WKU squad, which received votes in the preseason AVCA poll and ranked 26th.

Irene Wogenstahl finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Eagles offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .269. Defensively, MSU had two players reach double figures in digs as Peighton Isley had 21 and Brenna Bommer had 13. Isley now sits just four digs shy of 1,000 for her career.

The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, dropping a tough first set 25-16. Morehead State trailed by as many as 11 points as Western Kentucky never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up two times before the Lady Toppers took control.

Morehead State responded to pick up a 25-14 victory in set two, evening the match at one set apiece. The Eagles took control of the set lead early on at 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way. Morehead State led by as many as 13 points at 24-11 before finishing off the set. The Morehead State offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza.

Morehead State lost set three, putting the Eagles in a 2-1 hole. The Eagles came up short by the score of 25-20. Morehead State trailed by as many as seven points as Western Kentucky grabbed the advantage for good at 4-3 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Lady Toppers took over the lead.

Morehead State then lost the fourth set 25-17 to finish off the match. The Eagles trailed by as many as eight points as Western Kentucky grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 and Morehead State wasn't able to recover in a set that was tied up four times before the Lady Toppers took over.

#24 MARQUETTE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 OVC) fought hard against nationally ranked Marquette (1-0, 0-0 Big East) on Friday night, but ultimately dropped the season opener by a score of 0-3. The final set scores were as follows: (16-25, 13-25, 21-25).

The Golden Eagles started hot in the opening set as they quickly got out to an early 8-2 lead. The Panthers settled down and cut the lead in half midway through the frame, but Marquette responded with a 5-0 run to help win the set. OVC Preseason Player to Watch Kaitlyn Flynn made her presence known early with five kills in the set.

Marquette came out strong once again in the second set and led by as much as 13 in the frame. EIU refused to quit and went on an explosive 5-1 run late in the set, but the large deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Golden Eagles took a two-set lead. Flynn matched her opening set performance with another five kills.

In the third set, Marquette found themselves with another sizeable advantage before an electric 7-0 run by Eastern that featured a pair of block combinations from Ireland Hieb and Lilli Amettis cut the lead to two late. However, Marquette outscored the Panthers 4-2 down the stretch to take the set and the match. Freshman Destiny Walker had a big set with five kills.

Kaitlyn Flynn led the EIU offense with 10 kills on the night. She also added five digs, two block assists, and a service ace to her stellar performance.

Destiny Walker had a solid debut for the Panthers with a team second-best six kills and team-leading eight digs.

Meanwhile, Ireland Hieb led both teams with six block assists. The Panthers outblocked the Golden Eagles nine to five on the evening.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1
DEKALB, Ill. - It has been 5 years since the Western Illinois Volleyball team has won a regular season opening game. That streak came to an end tonight as the Leathernecks took down the Northern Illinois Huskies in 4 sets by scores of 25-20, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23. 

Keyana Cruse and Elizabeth Ziegler had huge nights offensively as Ziegler would end up with 16 kills. Cruse finished with 23 kills, which was a game high and Maggie Craker also had a game high in assists with 38. Defensively, WIU had 7 blocks and Karli Wenzel led the team in digs with 23. 

The first set was close early on as both teams would trade the first 6 points of the game making it 3-3. The Huskies would then score the next 2 points to make it 5-3, which was the largest lead of the set for NIU. The two teams would continue to go back and forth until WIU went on a 5-1 run highlighted by 2 Keyana Cruse kills to put the Leathernecks up 16-10, which was the turning point of the set. NIU got as close as 18-16 after the run, but the Leatherneck defense would stand strong as Grace Kremer had a big block to end an NIU run, leading to a 25-20 set one win for Western. 

The second set was also back and forth but a 7-1 run in the middle of the set gave the Huskies a 13-8 lead, causing the Leathernecks to play from behind the rest of the set. WIU wouldn't go away quietly as Elizabeth Ziegler would get a kill followed by a block to cut the NIU lead to 1. The Huskies would follow that with a 3-0 run to force a WIU timeout and would go on to win the second set 25-20. 

To open the third set, NIU would take an early 8-4 lead. Like the previous two sets, WIU would not go down without a fight. A Brittany Wulf ace would spark a 10-2 Leatherneck run and WIU wouldn't look back as they would go on to win the set 25-18. In the fourth set, NIU would again start off with an early lead of 6-3, but the leatherneck toughness would once again show. With each team going on several mini runs for a majority of the fourth and final set, Elizabeth Ziegler would give WIU some breathing room having 3 straight kills giving them a 18-15 lead. The final kill of the game also came from Ziegler to give the Leathernecks the 3-1 victory, winning the fourth set 25-23.