MACOMB, Ill. - The Fighting Leatherneck volleyball team (3-3) is slated to compete in the Butler Classic in Indianapolis this weekend (Sept. 7-8), the team's final non-conference invitational of the 2012 season.
Western is slated to square-off against invite host Butler Friday at 10 a.m. CT, and then conclude tournament action Saturday against Indiana (10 a.m. CT) and Stephen F. Austin (1 p.m. CT).
LAST TIME OUT: After starting the season off 0-3 in the team's season opening tournament at SIU-Edwardsville, the Leathernecks bounced back, earning three straight wins and a tournament crown in this past weekend's Drury Inn Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic.
Western kicked things off with a 3-2 win over SIU-Edwardsville, a team that they lost to the week prior, and then swept Loyola (Chicago) 3-0 in its second match of the tournament. The Leathernecks capped-off the exciting weekend by taking a 3-2 thriller from host Inidana State.
THE MATCHUPS
Who: Western Illinois (3-3) at Butler (5-2)
When: Friday, Sept. 7 • 10 a.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. • Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000)
Series History: Butler leads 6-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2009 (WIU 3, Butler 0)
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Who: Western Illinois (3-3) vs. Indiana (5-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 8 • 10 a.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. • Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000)
Series History: Indiana leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Aug. 25, 2007 (Indiana 3, WIU 1)
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Who: Western Illinois (3-3) vs. Stephen F. Austin (5-2)
When: Saturday, Sept. 8 • 1 p.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. • Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000)
Series History: Stephen F. Austin leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Aug 29, 2009 (SFA 3, WIU 1)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Tournament Central Page:
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MORE LEATHERNECK VOLLEYBALL INFO
2012 Quick Facts
2012 Information Guide
A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS: Iinvitational host Butler enter the weekend with a 5-2 overall record...Butler is led by 13th-year head coach Sharon Clark who is Butler's all-time most winningest volleyball coach...Through seven matches, Maggie Harbison leads the team in kills with 75 (2.78 per set), while Belle Obert sits second on the team with 62 (3.10 per set)...Their assists leader, Morgan Peterson, enters the weekend with 264 (9.43 per set)...The Bulldogs have three players with 58-plus digs on the season in Peterson (66), Harbison (59) and Brooke Ruffolo (58)...Two players have 10 service aces in 2012 (Harbison and Ruffolo)...Erica Stahl has a team-high 40 blocks on the year.
A LOOK AT THE HOOSIERS: Big 10 member Indiana enter the weekend with a 5-1 overall record under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Sherry Dunbar...Through the Hoosiers six matches, Jordan Haverly leads the team in kills with 91 (4.33 per set)...Leading the Hoosiers in assists is Katie Gallagher with 274 (11.91 per set)...Jade Henderson owns a team-high six service aces...Caitlin Hanson leads the team with 87 digs in 2012...Their blocks leader is Samantha Thrower who has 33 on the year.
A LOOK AT THE LADYJACKS: The Ladyjacks enter the weekend with a 5-2 overall mark, and are led by Debbie Humphreys who is in the midst of her 25th season as head coach of Stephen F. Austin...The Ladyjacks are led by Jill Ivy and Sabrina Burns who have 78 (2.89 per set) and 69 (2.38 per set), respectively...Paige Holland leads the team in assists with 270 (9.31), while Tori Bates leads SFA in service aces (14)...Madison Hanlan is leading the squad in digs with 147, and Burns owns a team-best 22 blocks.
AT THE HELM: April Hall was named head volleyball coach on February 20, 2012, becoming the ninth head coach in the Western Illinois volleyball program's history. Hall spent last year as an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky University while the Norse were in the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. NKU went 26-6 last year and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
JUST KEEP DIGGING: Senior defensive specialist Bridget Murphy finished last season with 580 digs, the fourth best single-season total in Western's program history, and 5.98 digs per set, which is the second best single-season performance in Western's record books...She has 1,364 career digs, ranking fifth in program history (Jennifer Alexander ranks first with 2,343)...Murphy sits 39 digs away from moving into fourth in program history.
DISHING OUT ASSISTS: Junior setter Sarah Fetter
racked up a game-high 50 assists in the five sets in the team's first
match of 2012 versus Montana State (August 25), tying her career high from 2011...She had 50 assists at
South Dakota (Oct. 2) last season...Fetter owns 1,222 career assists in
only her second season at Western which ranks 10th in program history.
INVITATIONAL MVP: Sophomore Samantha Fournier was tabbed the Drury Inn Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic's 'Most Valuable Player' after helping guide the Leathernecks to a tournament title...She finished the invite with a tournament-best 51 kills, putting down a career-high 21 kills in two of Western's matches...Fournier finished with a .280 hitting percentage, while also tallying 37 digs, six blocks, three assists and three service aces.
SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: After being tabbed 'Tournament MVP', Fournier also earned the weekly Western Illinois 'Scholar Athlete of the Week' award...The Coal Valley, Ill. native holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.367 and is undecided on a major.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior middle blocker Katie Hosteng is the only Leatherneck to have been named to both all-tournament teams so far this season, earning the honors in the SIU-Edwardsville
Cougar Classic after finishing the invite with 31 kills (2.58 per set) and a .297 hitting percentage...She then earned the all-tournament team honors after the Drury Inn Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic where she tallied 41 kills and a team-best .286 hitting percentage.
THE SCHEDULE: Western has taken part in two of its three invitationals so far, play in 16 Summit League
matches, 11 non-conference contests...Nine total matches will be played at home with the first three being played inside Western Hall, and the other six at Brophy Hall.
CLASS BREAKDOWN: The Leathernecks return nine members from last year's team led by seniors Bridget Murphy and Katie Hosteng...They have two juniors that returned to the squad in Sarah Fetter and Heather Smith...A sophomore class of five return to Western in Ann Miller, Molly Murphy, Bailey Kaloupek, Mallory Gibson and Samantha Fournier...The Leathernecks enter the 2012 season with three newcomers, all freshmen, in twin sisters Leighanne Novak and Kaitlynn Novak, and Jordan Jackson.
WHAT'S NEXT?: The Leathernecks return home after playing their first nine matches on the road. Western will play host to Chicago State on Tuesday (Sept. 11), and then open Summit League action when its hosts South Dakota Friday (Sept. 14) and Kansas City Saturday (Sept. 15).
