BOX SCORE
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Jillian Mitchell flirted with a triple-double with 49 assists, 10 digs and eight kills hitting .353 and Michelle Moore finished with a season-high 24 kills hitting .513 as Western Michigan won its first five-setter of the season 25-18, 19-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6 over Delaware in front of 125 at Reynolds Gym in the Black & Gold Challenge. With her 24 kills, Moore pulled into sole possession of 14th place all-time at WMU with 1,052 kills. She also added 13 digs for her first double-double of the season.
Katie Eberling added her second double-double in as many matches and 33rd of her career with 11 kills hitting .357 and 11 digs. Caitlin Strimel surpassed 20 digs for the third-straight match with 22 and a match-high three aces, while her high school teammate, Kate Corbett, added eight kills and seven blocks. Jaime Gotham added eight kills and four blocks of her own.
For the second-straight match, WMU (6-1) had to go to a fifth set, while Delaware (2-7) was playing their third of the season. The Broncos took early control with five straight points capped off by a Strimel ace to force Delaware to call timeout trailing 5-1. The Broncos didn't let up as they quickly strung together another five-straight points to go up 10-3. The Broncos had seven kills, four blocks and an ace to finish off the Blue Hens, who reached the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
A kill by Moore and Eberling service ace staked the Broncos to the first three points of the opening stanza, but Delaware came back and took their first lead of the set, 9-8, after a WMU attack error. The Broncos answered with a 4-0 run behind a kill and ace from Allyson Doyle. The Broncos added another four-point run moments later as Corbett registered a kill, followed by a Strimel ace and back-to-back Moore kills to put WMU up 18-11. The Blue Hens were able to pull back within five, 20-15, but WMU was able to play sideout volleyball and ended the set, 25-18, on an Eberling kill.
The Broncos hti .206 with 13 kills and six errors, while holding Delaware to .059 on nine kills and seven errors, while also picking up two blocks and nine digs.
Western Michigan carried set one momentum into set two as four kills by Moore and one by Doyle put the Broncos up 5-1 and forced the Hens to call a timeout. The timeout worked as Delaware took control with a 10-2 run to take an 11-7 lead. WMU came back and cut the lead to two on a pair of occasions (13-11, 15-13), but couldn't get closer and Delaware closed out the set, 25-19, with back-to-back solo blocks.
The Broncos hammered home 15 kills, but also had nine errors, including four Delaware blocks, to hit .150. The Blue Hens hit .342 with 16 kills and only three errors.
The all-important third set was a back-and-forth affair to start as both teams tried to take control with five ties and three lead changes. The final lead change came when Corbett gave the Broncos a 9-8 lead with a kill. That was part of a 3-0 run that put WMU up two, 10-8, after a Doyle ace. The Broncos stretched the lead to five, 15-10, after kills by Mitchell and Jaime Gotham and a Strimel ace. The Blue Hens closed to within three, 17-14, but an Eberling kill and Delaware error pushed the lead back to five and that was all the cushion WMU would need. Moore ended the set, 25-17, with her 14th kill. Mitchell had a nice all-around set with five kills in seven attempts (.714) and eight assists.
The Broncos hit an efficient .343 with 14 kills and just two errors, while also adding three service aces. Delaware was held to .119 hitting with 11 kills and six errors.
Delaware took the early lead in set four by building a 7-3 advantage. The Broncos came back and evened the score at 13 on a Doyle kill, again at 14 on a Moore kill and then took the lead, 16-15, after an Eberling kill. The Blue Hens responded with a 6-0 run to take command of the set, 21-16. The Broncos fought back to pull within two, 23-21, after a block by Gotham and Moore. Delaware scored next, but then back-to-back kills by Moore made it a one-point set, 24-23, before Delaware ended it on the next point.
The Broncos hit .364, their highest-mark yet, with 15 kills and three errors, but Delaware had 18 kills and six errors to hit .316. The Broncos also had four blocks in the set, but committed a pair of service errors.
For the match, WMU hit .276 with 64 kills and 21 errors, while Delaware hit .183 with 56 kills and 26 errors. The Broncos also had a season-high 12 blocks and added seven service aces.
The Broncos conclude play in the event against East Carolina (8-2) at 4:30 p.m.
