MACOMB, Ill. – SIUE volleyball closed out the 2015 Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational Saturday with a 25-14, 25-18, 25-19 loss to DePaul.

The Cougars, 1-2, now gear up for the Cougar Classic this weekend. It begins with a 7 p.m. match Friday against Arkansas. The tournament also includes Louisiana Tech and Northern Kentucky.

"I'm really pleased with this weekend and where we are at going into our home tournament," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. "Our out-of-system game is much better. Our mental stability on the court is good. We never stopped competing."

Taylor Joens, who was named to the All-Tournament team at the 2015 Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational, led the SIUE offense her third straight double-digit effort in kills with a team-leading 12.

"Taylor is a dependable offensive threat for us," said Johnson. "We need to make sure we are putting her in a position to score."

Saige Gallop led the Blue Demons with 10 kills. DePaul hit .412 as a team. Callie Huebner added five service aces.

Johnson said SIUE's ball control got off to a slow start but progressively improved as the match went on.

"That threw us the rest of the match," said Johnson. "DePaul was playing with a lot of confidence and didn't make a lot of errors."

SIUE's edge was in blocks with a 4-3 lead. The Cougars also finished with 31 kills as a team and hit .132 against DePaul.