KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped its Mid-American Conference home-opener, 3-1 (21-25, 12-25, 16-25), on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Kate Carey led the Bronco attack, finishing with nine kills and a .429 hitting percentage. Nicole Kinser finished with seven kills, while Sydney LeMay finished with six and three solo blocks. Freshman libero Kathleen Reilly finished with a game-high 18 digs.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair between the Broncos and the RedHawks, featuring four ties and five lead changes. WMU got out to a good start, taking a 5-4 lead on an attacking error. Miami responded and went on a short run to take the lead 7-5. The Broncos kept it within two until tying the game 16-16 after another RedHawk attacking error. The teams tied again at 1-18 and then a kill from MU's Katie Tomasic retook the lead for good, closing out the set 25-21.
The Broncos and the RedHawks were neck-and-neck in the second set until a kill by Stela Kukoc broke a 6-6 tie. Miami went on 10-2 run to expand its lead to 16-8 and eventually finishing off the set 25-12.
In the final set Miami jumped out to a 10-4 lead. The Broncos managed to get within three, 16-13, on a kill by LeMay. MU responded with a 9-3 run to close out the match.
The Broncos head back on the road for MAC play, traveling to Eastern Michigan on Friday night at 7 p.m. and to Central Michigan on Sunday for a 3 p.m. match.
