CINCINNATI, Ohio –  The Western Michigan volleyball team won the Xavier Tournament after splitting with the Musketeers and Cincinnati. WMU fell to the hosts 3-2 but rebounded to beat the Bearcats 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Kathleen Reilly was named Tournament MVP, while Mary Matthews and Olivia Kofie were also named to the All-Tournament Team. WMU claimed the tournament title after Texas State defeated Xavier on Saturday night, giving the Broncos the tie-breaker over the Bobcats after defeating them on Friday.

"These were two great matches for us and we really improved as a team in all areas," said head coach Colleen Munson. "

Against Xavier WMU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after winning the first set 25-23 and the second set 25-19. The Musketeers fought back to take the next two sets 25-10 and 25-20. The two teams went down to the wire in the fifth and final set, but Xavier came out on top 15-13.  The Broncos had four players with double-digit kills led by Quinna Ware's 16. Sydney LeMay tallied 14, while Rachel Bontrager had 13 and Kofie had 12. Ware had 14 digs for her second double-double of the season. Also with a double-double was Murphy, who had a match-high 49 assists. Reilly had a season-high 25 digs in the loss.

Western Michigan (3-3) had just 30 minutes between matches and fell in the first set to Cincinnati 25-18. WMU won a tight second set 25-22 and then dominated in the third set 25-11 to take a 2-1 lead. The fourth set was a tight one and the Broncos claimed the win with a 26-24 finish. WMU held the Bearcats to a .077 attacking percentage, helping force 34 errors. The Broncos had 12.0 blocks in the match, led by Kofie's seven (two solo, five assists). LeMay led the attack with 12 kills, while Ware and Bontrager each had nine. Reilly had 20 digs, while Murphy had 37 assists.

Western Michigan hosts the Holiday Inn West Invitational, opening up the tournament on Thursday night hosting Oakland at 7 p.m. The Golden Grizzlies take on Southern Illinois on Friday at 5 p.m., while the Broncos and the Salukies battle it out on Saturday night at 7 p.m.