KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Western Michigan volleyball team split on the final day of the DISH Tennessee Classic, picking up its first win of the season on Saturday morning, defeating George Washington 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-23, 25-20) and then falling to Wofford College 3-1 (22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 8-15).
Against the Colonials Olivia Kofie, Quianna Ware and Sydney LeMay each reached double-digit kills in the win. Kofie and Ware tied for the team-lead with 12 each, while Kofie finished with a game-high hitting percentage of .308. Freshman Rachel Bontrager just missed her first collegiate double-double after recording nine kills and 11 digs. Mary Murphy had 42 assists and nine digs, while sophomore libero Kathleen Reilly had a game-high 17 digs.
"Our middles were much more productive today as a whole," said head coach Colleen Munson, who recorded her 300th career win. "Once we established the middle it opened everything for us. It was nice to see us put into play some of the systems offensively and defensively that we have been working on."
WMU controlled the first set and came away with a 25-19 win. The Colonials fought hard in the second set and came back from a deficit to beat the Broncos 26-24. The third set was neck-and-neck until Western Michigan was able to pull away in the end, 25-23. The Broncos once against controlled the fourth set, winning 25-20.
Against the Terries it was LeMay who led the team with 17 kills. Ware and Kofie each 13 and it was the third-straight match in double-digit kills for Ware. Murphy had 48 saves, while Kaley Smith, Bontrager and Reilly each tied for the team lead with 12 digs.
WMU dropped the first two sets to Wofford but rallied back in the third to cut the lead to 2-1 after winning 25-22. The Broncos tied it up at 2-2 after winning the fourth set 25-21 but fell in the final set 15-8.
Ware and Murphy were both named to the DISH Tennessee Classic All-Tournament team.
Western Michigan heads to Cincinnati, Ohio for a tournament at Xavier University. The Broncos will take on Texas State on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. then the host Musketeers Saturday afternoon, followed by another afternoon showdown against Cincinnati at 4 p.m.
