INDIANAPOLIS -- Freshman outside hitter Gillian Asque led Western Michigan with 10 kills and hit .318 in a sweep (25-11, 25-17, 25-17) of Wright State in The Jungle at IUPUI on Saturday. The Broncos (5-1) won their fourth in a row, all sweeps, and remained undefeated in the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational.
Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Brown added nine kills, three digs and two blocks, while freshman outside hitter Ali Gossen and senior outside hitter Allyson Doyle each added eight kills. Doyle picked up 20 digs, the seventh career time she's reached that mark, and freshman libero Lena Oliver led all players with 22 digs, her second career 20-dig match. Gossen and Oliver both had a career-high three aces.
Junior setter Sam Viox led all players with 38 assists and added eight digs.
The Broncos hit .261 with 42 kills, while holding Wright State to 26 kills and .050 attacking. The Broncos had 14 more digs (68-54) and two more blocks (6.0-4.0). WMU also had eight aces and allowed only three by Wright State (1-4).
The Broncos broke an early tie with a 9-3 run to build a six-point edge, 11-5, after back-to-back blocks by Turnage/Doyle and Turnage/Asque, an Asque kill and Gossen ace. The lead continued to swell as Brown had a kill, solo block and assisted block with Viox on three straight points during a 5-0 run to go up 11, 18-7. The Broncos ended the set with an ace by Oliver, 25-11.
The Broncos hit .229 with 10 kills, but stymied Wright State to the tune of -.122 attacking on five kills and 10 errors. Doyle had 10 digs and Oliver eight, while WMU also compiled five blocks.
Kills by Viox and Turnage broke an early tie, 7-5, and put WMU on top for good. The teams traded the next seven points until Wright State missed to put WMU up three, 11-8, and begin a 5-1 run that put WMU up six, 15-9, after an Asque kill. Wright State closed within four, 20-16, but WMU closed the set on another 5-1 run and took the second set, 25-17, on a tip kill by Gossen.
WMU hit .400 in the second set with 17 kills, while WSU hit .158 with 12 kills. Asque led the Broncos with seven kills in the set.
Western Michigan jumped out to an 8-2 lead, behind back-to-back aces from Oliver and two kills by freshman Emily Harris. The Raiders showed resiliency and eventually took the lead, 15-14. WMU swiftly took back control, however, with a 6-0 run on a Gossen kill, Harris kill, Gossen/Harris block, two WSU errors and Viox ace, 20-15. WSU scored to stop the run, but WMU immediately came back with kills by Doyle and Harris and back-to-back Gossen aces, 24-16. WSU scored again, but WMU put the match away as Asque ripped a kill off the top of the block, 25-17.
WMU hit .178 in the third set with 15 kills, but seven errors. Wright State had only nine kills and hit .122. Harris had a career-high four kills in the set, along with four each by Doyle and Brown.
The Broncos conclude the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational on Sunday at 3 p.m. against DePaul of the Big East.
