BOX SCORE
KALAMAZOO -- Michelle Moore and Kate Corbett led Western Michigan with 11 kills each, but Valparaiso used a variety of attacks to win the final match of the Holiday Inn West Bronco Thanksgiving Challenge 26-24, 25-22, 25-23 on Saturday night at University Arena.
The Broncos (26-6), Mid-American Conference regular season champions, will now await their postseason fate when the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Selection Show takes place on Sunday at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. The Broncos' 26 wins is the most since 2000 and the current four-year stretch of 20-win seasons in the second-longest in school history (1981-87).
With her 11 kills, Moore moved into second all-time at WMU (26-6) with 1,424 career kills and her 470 kills this season is eighth, while Katie Eberling added 10 kills to move into 12th with 1,132 career kills.
MAC Defensive Player of the Year Caitlin Strimel added a match-high 23 digs to increase her school record to 1,993 digs and her 614 digs this season is third all-time. Strimel holds each of the top three spots in single-season digs. Strimel also added one ace as she moved into seventh at WMU with 118 career aces.
MAC Setter of the Year Jillian Mitchell added 39 assists to push her season total to 1,348, third-best in WMU history. She is currently ninth in career digs with 2,013 and 10th in career digs with 890 after picking up five against the Crusaders (25-7).
Valparaiso, the nation's leading team in kills, notched 55 against the Broncos and hit .248, while the Broncos finished with 42 kills and hit .243.
The first set was the tightest of the match with 16 ties and seven lead changes before it was decided. The Broncos opened with a kill from Corbett, followed by an error and eventually built the lead to four, 8-4, after a Doyle putaway. The Crusaders came back to score five straight and take their first lead, but a kill by Corbett and another error put WMU back on top, 10-9. The score continued to go back-and-forth until WMU took the lead, 17-16, on another Corbett kill. The Crusaders came back with a 4-1 run to take their first two-point lead, 20-18.
An error by WMU put VU up three, 22-19, but a timeout by the Broncos steadied the ship. Moore had a kill out of the timeout and then Jaime Gotham teamed with Moore and Mitchell on a pair of blocks to tie the score, 22-22, and force Valparaiso to call timeout. The Crusaders scored with a kill, but WMU answered with a Moore tally. Valparaiso scored again, but WMU responded with a block by Doyle and Gotham to save one set point, 24-24.
The Broncos misfired on the next point and Valparaiso finished the set, 26-24, with its 19th kill.
Valparaiso raced out to a 5-1 lead before Corbett had a kill and Moore a solo block to stop the run. An ace by Moore pulled WMU within one, 7-6, but two straight points put Valparaiso up three. The Broncos hung around until a kill by Corbett finally evened the score at 17. Valparaiso didn't lose the lead as they rung up a kill and ace as part of a 5-1 run to go up four, 22-18, and that was enough to hang on, 25-22.
VU hit .277 with 18 kills and five errors, while WMU hit .250 with 15 kills and five errors. Corbett and Moore led the way with five kills, while Strimel had nine digs.
The Broncos took four one-point leads in the first seven points of set three, but Valparaiso strung together two-straight points to go up 5-4 and WMU never led again. Corbett tied the score at five, but a 7-3 run by the Crusaders put them up four, 12-8, and WMU was fighting from behind the rest of the way. The Crusaders built a six-point lead, 24-18, and match point after a kill, but the Broncos weren't finished fighting.
A kill by Eberling, three-straight errors and a block from Mitchell and Corbett saved five match points and cut the lead to one, 24-23, before Valparaiso ended the drama with a kill.
The Broncos hit .303 in set three, but had just 13 kills, while Valparaiso hit only .205, but notched 18 kills and nine errors.
Horizon League Player of the Year Angie Porche led Valparaiso with 20 kills and 14 digs, while Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year Brittany Malicoat notched 19 digs.
