TULSA, Okla. – The IUPUI volleyball team started Summit League play with a pair of wins on its home floor, but this weekend the Jags will hit the road for the first time in league action when they square off against Oral Roberts and Western Illinois.
 
IUPUI opens its trip at Oral Roberts on Friday, Oct. 2, before making its way to Macomb, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon tilt against Western Illinois. Both the Jags and Golden Eagles sit atop the conference standings with 2-0 league marks, while the Leathernecks are 1-1 through the first week and a half.
 
The Jags have won five of their last six matches, including a three-set win over Fort Wayne on Tuesday night. In that contest, IUPUI converted 40-of-44 side out opportunities as it cruised to its fourth-straight victory in the series between the two schools.
 
However, ORU picked up a pair of road wins to start the league slate at North Dakota State and South Dakota State, while Western Illinois split a pair of road contests winning at South Dakota and falling North Dakota State.
 
"It's always tough when you're on the road. Oral Roberts is at the top of the conference and it's always tough to play at their place," head coach Steve Payne said following Tuesday's win over Fort Wayne. "It's going to be pretty tough competition and a pretty good match with them, and Western Illinois too because it's the second part of our trip. We need to make sure we're on top of our game."
 
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with the second best offensive attack in the league hitting at a .224 clip, and they are led by Laura Milos' league-best 4.85 kps and Shelby Cox's .348 hitting percentage.
 
Western Illinois boasts a 3-13 overall record and the Leathernecks come in as one of the top serving teams in the conference. WIU ranks second in total aces with 71. Peyton Crosser is the team's leading attacker with 2.96 kps.
 
Through two conference tilts, IUPUI leads the conference in league-only matches in kills (15.13 kps) and hitting percentage (.318). Kaitlyn Hickey ranks third in league-only matches with 4.50 kps, and Kelly Wachtel and Kori Waelbroeck are first and second in the conference, respectively, in hitting percentage at .500 and .447.