MACOMB, Ill. – In their second match of the Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational, the Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team was swept in straight sets by host Western Illinois 25-12, 25-14, 25-15.
 
After a tightly-contested loss to Tennessee Tech in Friday's opener, the Knights (0-2) were unable to slow down the attack of the home Leathernecks (1-0) in the nightcap.
 
Junior outside hitter Erika Sullivan paced the Knights offense for the second straight match by totaling a team-high eight kills on 25 total attacks, while sophomores Nataliya Rybakova and Erin Singer chipped in with four and three kills, respectively in the loss.
 
For the host Leathernecks, Melanie Patenaude and Shiah Sanders set the tone by tallying 21 of the team's 39 kills in the match. Sanders was especially efficient, committing just two errors, while totaling 10 kills for a .400 attack percentage.
 
Patenaude's service played a key role in the victory as she racked up five aces to accompany her 11-kill performance.
 
In the opening set, the Knights trailed by one, 7-6, after Rybakova finished off a set from McKenna Setterlund, however, the Leathernecks assumed control from that point forward.
 
Leading 11-8, Patenaude rattled off 11 straight points and put the game out of reach.
 
The momentum continued into the second frame as the home team scored the first five points en route to an early 8-1 cushion. A 3-0 spurt by the Knights was quickly erased as the Leathernecks rolled off another 8-1 run and led 16-6 at the halfway point.
 
In the final game of the night, the Leathernecks mirrored their game two performance by scoring the first five points again and eventually ballooned the lead to 15-2. Patenaude delivered three of her five aces over that span before Rybakova ended the run with a kill.
 
Trailing 18-3, the Knights trimmed away at the large deficit with five straight tallies, which included an Emma Liller ace and one kill apiece from Rybakova and freshman Brooke Stevens. Despite the burst, the distance proved to be insurmountable as the Leathernecks regrouped and finalized the straight-set victory.
 
The Knights conclude their three-match weekend on Saturday when they take on Evansville at 11:00 a.m. (EST).