KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the fourth straight match Western Michigan volleyball battled its opponent to a fifth set but was unable to come up with its second straight victory as the Broncos fell to Kent State (25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 9-15) on Saturday night inside University Arena.

The Broncos had three record double digit kills against the Golden Flashes as the team recorded a .223 attack percentage. WMU was also dominant at the net against Kent State registering 11 blocks, tied for the most in a match this season.

Leading the way for WMU was junior Rachel Bontrager with 24 kills to go along with nine digs, three blocks and a staggering .333 attack percentage. Bontrager's 24 kills was one shy of her career-high of 25 set at UNC-Wilmington on Sept. 16, 2017. The Valparaiso, Ind., native has now recorded double digit kills in a career-high 13 straight matches.

For the third consecutive match, sophomore Meredith Phillips earned a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs. In the two matches over the weekend, Phillips has registered 32 kills and 22 digs. 

Joining Phillips with a double-double was freshman Rose Duffy with a career-high 51 assists and 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. It's the fourth straight match in which Duffy has had over 40 assists and on the weekend collected 98 assists.

Rounding out the trio of double digit kills was redshirt sophomore Charley Andrews with 10. Andrews also posted a season-high seven blocks. Senior Kathleen Reilly led the Broncos with 25 digs to go along with five assists against Kent State.

Western Michigan now has an overall record of 12-10 and 3-7 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos hit the road next weekend for a pair of matches against in-state rivals Central Michigan (Oct. 31) and Eastern Michigan (Nov. 2).

Set One (WMU – 25, Kent St. – 23)
It was a back and forth battle to begin the match as neither team led by more than three en route to a 12-12 tie midway through the set after a Kent State 4-1 run.

Western Michigan countered with a 3-0 run to regain the lead at 16-15 and ultimately went on a 6-2 run to gain a 19-17 advantage. The Golden Flashes responded once again, scoring three of the next four points to tie the set at 20-20. Bontrager ended the set with her fifth kill of the set to give WMU a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two (WMU – 24, Kent St. – 26)
Both offenses were clicking in the second set as WMU and Kent State each had an attack percentage over .300. Western Michigan gained an early 11-10 lead after embarking on a 5-1 run highlighted by two kills from senior Willow Martin.

Kent State battled back and regained the lead at 19-18 after a 3-0 run before the Broncos countered with a 3-0 run of their own to grab a 21-19 lead. After another Martin kill, the Broncos had set point prior to the Golden Flashes rattling off three straight points to win the set 26-24 and tie the match at 1-1.

Set Three (WMU – 25, Kent St. – 22)
After the intermission both teams kept their offensive momentum as WMU and Kent State hit over .400 in the third. The two teams were deadlocked at 13-13 midway through the third as WMU got a kill from freshman Maggie King to highlight a 4-1 run.

Later in set, King earned her second kill of the set to propel the Broncos to a 21-19 lead. Down the stretch Bontrager led the way, scoring the last four points for the Brown & Gold en route to the 25-22 set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set Four (WMU – 20, Kent St. – 25)
The Broncos and Golden Flashes went back and forth early on in the fourth set before KSU embarked on a 7-1 run to take a 15-10 midway through. WMU looked to mount a comeback late in the fourth as a block by Andrews and Duffy cut the Bronco deficit down to one.

However, the Golden Flashes countered scoring five of the final six points to tie the match at 2-2 with a 25-20 set victory.

Set Five (WMU – 9, Kent St. – 15)
WMU got off to a fast start to begin the fifth and final set, scoring the first three points with two kills from Bontrager before KSU rallied with four straight points to gain the lead.

The Broncos cut the deficit down to one at 9-8 later in the set before KSU went on another 4-0 run to widen its lead to 13-8 and forcing the Broncos to call a timeout. Ultimately the Golden Flashes ended the set on a 6-1 run to secure the five-set victory on Saturday night.