Mastodons Out-Last Leathernecks in Five

Monday, October 10

Macomb, Ill.

8:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

14-6, 7-2Summit

Western Illinois

9-10, 2-7Summit

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
IPFW	25	23	22	25	15	3
Western Illinois	19	25	25	23	12	2

Photo by: Lucas Carter

10/10/2011 10:38:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

MACOMB, Ill. - Behind a career-high 20 kills from Kendall Wienkes, and a season-high 35 digs from Tessa McGill, the IPFW Mastodons out-lasted the Western Illinois Leathernecks in five sets 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 on Monday evening.

Wienkes had 20 kills, leading four 'Dons in double figures, while Emily Spencer had 16, Alli Hook 12, and Megan Wiler 12. Megan Steenhuysen, the conference leader in assists, dished out 59 in the win, while McGill had a season-high 35 digs. Wiler had a match-high six blocks, as Spencer added three in the win.

With the win the Mastodons improve to 14-6 overall and 7-2 in league play, which puts them into a two-way tie for second place in the league standings with North Dakota State, a game behind current leader Oral Roberts (8-1).

IPFW dominated in the first set, leading wire-to-wire in the frame, using runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to push ahead 12-4. The Leathernecks (9-10, 2-7 Summit) fought back, closing to within as few as three at 21-18, before the Mastodons scored four of the final five points to cruise to the 25-19 opening-set win.

In the second set IPFW jumped ahead early; however, two consecutive 4-0 runs by the Leathernecks gave the hosts a 10-5 lead. The Mastodons would not regain the lead, despite fighting back to tie the set at 23 apiece, before a kill and an IPFW attack error send the teams into the break tied at one set apiece.

The third set was back-and-forth with nine ties and two lead changes, and the teams were tied at 22 before the Leathernecks pick up back-to-back-to-back kills to end the set and giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage in the match with the 25-22 win in the third frame.

Western Illinois jumped ahead 10-4 early in the fourth set, as IPFW burned through both of its timeouts through the first 14 points of the set. The Mastodons answered back after the second of the timeouts, scoring five in a row to climb to within one at 10-9. The comeback was completed at 12-11 after a Wiler kill gave the 'Dons a 12-11 lead, and capping a 7-1 run.

The two teams proceeded to go back-and-forth, with the visitors leading by one at 21-20 before IPFW scored five of the final six points to pull away to the 25-22 fourth-set score, and sending the match into a deciding fifth set.

IPFW jumped ahead quickly in the fifth, leading 5-1 before the Leathernecks climbed back, and eventually led by one at 11-10 late in the contest; however, IPFW would go on to score five of the last six points, and closed the match on a kill by Wiler to give the visitors the 15-12 fifth-set win.

Brooke Stittleburg had a team-high 17 kills for WIU, as Bridget Murphy and Sarah Fetter had 22 and 21 digs, respectively.

The Mastodons return to action on Friday, October 15 when the team travels to Rochester, Michigan, to face off against the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University in a 4:00 p.m. first serve.

~Dons~