TOLEDO, Ohio -- The third seeded Western Michigan volleyball team was upset by 11th seeded Miami 3-2 (25-12, 21-25, 22-25, 25-21, 14-16) in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at the SeaGate Center on Friday afternoon.
Jessica Brown finished with a match-high 21 kills and
Lena Oliver had a match-high 33 digs but the Broncos were unable to overcome the RedHawks. The Broncos hit .438 in the first set but did not hit above .226 for the rest of the match. MU's Amy Raseman, Michelle Metzler and Lisa Treadway each had double-digit kills with Raseman leading the way with 16. Treadway had 13 kills and 19 digs for a double-double, while WMU senior
Allyson Doyle had 13 kills and 23 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.
The Broncos made short work of the RedHawks in the first set, jumping quickly out to a 15-6 lead. The Bronco run continued as they extended the lead 21-10 after a RedHawk attack error. Back-to-back kills by Oliver and Doyle put the set away at 25-12. Doyle was a perfect five-for-five on kills and Oliver had 10 digs in the set.
After a poor performance in the first set, Miami came out fast in the second. The RedHawks pushed a 10-5 lead on the Broncos before WMU went on a 6-1 run to square the game at 11-11. Miami once again extended their lead to 15-12 and then pressured the Broncos at 23-19. A kill by Brown brought WMU back within three, 23-20 but WMU was able to rebound, falling 25-21.
The third set started out even but Miami took five-point lead at 18-13 but the Broncos clawed back but the RedHawks soon pulled away and finished off the set at 25-22. Miami had seven of their match-high 14 blocks in the set to help them stifle the Bronco attack.
With the Broncos backs against the wall the Broncos got out to a 5-2 lead but surrendered it after an attack error by
Taylor Richard to push the score to 11-10 Miami. The two teams traded points and leads until a kill by Brown gave the Broncos the lead for good at 18-17. WMU extended its lead to 24-20 before an attack error by Colleen Loftus gave the set to WMU at 25-20.
The final set saw the Broncos lead for most of the set. With a 13-11 lead the RedHawks called a timeout to regroup. A kill by Raseman brought the RedHawks within one but Doyle responded to give the match point to WMU at 14-12. Back-to-back kills by Miami tied the set at 14-14. An attack error by Doyle gave Miami match point and then another attack error on WMU ended the match in favor of Miami, 16-14.
The Broncos host Valparaiso on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. for their final match of the regular season.
