KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In its lone exhibition match, Western Michigan volleyball defeated in-state competitor Grand Valley State in three sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-15) on Friday inside University Arena.
As a team the Broncos recorded a stellar .359 attack percentage with junior
Rachel Bontrager leading the way with 11 kills to go along with 10 digs. The Brown & Gold also posted six blocks and had three service aces, two of which coming from sophomore
Meredith Phillips.
The newcomers provided a spark for the WMU offense against the Lakers on Friday, recording a total of 15 kills, 37 assists and 24 digs. Freshman
Maggie King enjoyed her first game in the Brown & Gold, collecting seven kills and nine digs.
In the first set the Broncos lost the first point before rattling off an impressive run that propelled WMU to a 13-4 lead. GVSU cut the lead down to 16-10 midway through the first before the Broncos rattled off nine of the next 14 points to earn the 25-15 first set victory.
It was a back and forth battle in the second set as both teams traded points en route to a 13-13 tie prior to a kill by redshirt sophomore
Janell Williams gave WMU the lead. From that point on, WMU went on a 4-0 run to widen its lead and ultimately win the second set, 25-19.
The final set belonged to the Broncos, hitting a staggering .448 en route to the 25-15 set and match victory. Six different players earned a kill in the third set for WMU with four players having at least three kills each.
Western Michigan begins the 2019 campaign on the road on Friday, Aug. 30 with a doubleheader at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational presented by Hyatt Place. The Broncos will square off with South Alabama in the season opener before taking on host school Purdue Fort Wayne. To end the invitational, WMU challenges Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Aug. 31.
WMU's first home match is set for Sept. 20-21 as IUPUI, Auburn and Michigan State come to visit Kalamazoo as part of the Delta Hotel by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center Tournament.
For ticket information visit
wmubroncos.com/tickets, call 1-888-4-WMU-Tix or visit the Bronco Ticket Office.
