MACOMB, Ill. – The first half of the Summit League schedule concludes this weekend for the IUPUI volleyball team when it travels to Western Illinois for a Friday evening tilt, before returning home on Sunday afternoon to host first-placed Denver. 
 
Following a 3-1 win over Fort Wayne on Tuesday, the Jags improved to 4-2 in the conference and three of those four wins have come away from The Jungle. Friday's match in Macomb, Ill., is set for 8 p.m. ET, while Sunday afternoon's matinee will begin at 1 p.m.
 
"Overall I'm happy with the way we have played on the road so far, especially on Tuesday at Fort Wayne," head coach Steve Payne said. "We can't get caught up on how we played on Tuesday, because Western Illinois is a good team that plays well at home and then Denver has been playing the best volleyball in the conference so far. We need our defense to continue to be strong if we want to come away with two wins this weekend."
 
With the first-half of the conference season coming to a close, the Pioneers sit atop the conference standings at 6-0, a half-game ahead of South Dakota. The Jags sit in third at 4-2, while Western Illinois is tied for sixth at 2-4.
 
In conference-only matches, Denver ranks first in the league in kills per set (14.86 kps) and hitting percentage (.313), while the Leathernecks rank second in the conference in digs per set (16.55 dps).
 
Individually, IUPUI will see two of the top four hitters in the league this weekend in WIU's Ann Miller and Denver's Nola Basey. Miller ranks fourth in the league in kills with 4.50 kps in six league matches, while Basey sits in second averaging 4.68 kps. Kaitlyn Hickey is the top-ranked Jaguar in kills rounding out the top five with 4.16 kps.
 
Hickey has posted six consecutive kill-dig, double-doubles to start league play and is the reigning Summit League Player of the Week after posting 18 kills and 15 digs in a three-set win over South Dakota State last Friday (Oct. 10). Hickey followed that performance with 14 kills and 15 digs on Tuesday against the Mastodons, but the difference in Tuesday's win was IUPUI's blocking.
 
The Jags also boast the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Week in Alexis Mapes. Mapes tied a career-high for digs with 17 against SDSU in addition to distributing 42 assists.
 
The Jaguars entered Tuesday's contest at Fort Wayne ranked last in the league in blocks per set, but behind Gabby Fisher's five blocks and Hickey's four, the Jags collectively out-blocked IPFW, 12.0 to 6.0. The 12 blocks marked the fourth time this season the Jags have reached double-digits, and IUPUI is 3-1 in those contests.
 
IUPUI leads the all-time series against both teams holding a 22-9 lead against the Leathernecks and a 2-1 edge over the Pioneers. The Jaguars have won 12 straight against WIU, including six consecutive in Macomb, but three of those six road wins have come in five-set decisions.
 
Last season marked the first year in which IUPUI and Denver played, and the teams squared off three times, including in the Summit League Tournament championship match. The Pioneers won the first meeting between the schools in Denver, before the Jags emerged with wins in the final two meetings.