YPSILANTI, Mich. – On Thursday night inside the EMU Convocation Center the Western Michigan volleyball team put on a dominant performance in a three-set victory (25-12, 25-21, 25-9) over in-state foe Eastern Michigan.

Western Michigan hit .277 as a team and held the Eagles to a .019 attack percentage on Friday night. The Broncos also had seven blocks to EMU's three and had three service aces and 52 digs.

Leading the way for the Brown & Gold was senior Rachel Bontrager with 11 kills, registering a .350 attack percentage. Bontrager also rattled off eight digs with one block assist. Behind Bontrager was freshman Andelyn Simkins with nine kills and a team-high 13 digs. Simkins recorded a .200 attack percentage and had two service aces.

Redshirt sophomore Janell Williams ranked third on the team with seven kills. Williams earned a staggering .583 attack percentage to go along with a team-high four blocks. The duo of Cassandra Smigiel and Maggie King each had four kills against the Eagles followed by Meredith Phillips with three and Logan Case with two.

Case led the Broncos with 33 assists along with one service ace and four digs. The Broncos had three players register double-digit digs with Simkins and senior Kaley Smith leading the way with 13 each. Freshman Mairead Boyle rounded out the double-digit digs effort with 10.

With the win Western Michigan now has an overall and Mid-American Conference record of 3-2. WMU will return to Ypsilanti on Friday, Jan.5 for its second match-up with Eastern Michigan. First serve is once again set for 6:00 p.m.

First Set (WMU – 25, EMU – 21)
It was a back and forth battle between both teams in the first set as WMU and EMU were deadlocked at 6-6 early. Midway through the set the Bronco offense went to work, embarking on an 11-3 run to gain a 19-10 advantage. A block by freshman Andelyn Simkins highlighted a 7-0 run for WMU to give WMU a 22-10 lead.

Down the stretch the Broncos got kills from Simkins along with Cassandra Smigiel to capture the first set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Second Set (WMU – 25, EMU – 21)
The second set was much closer between WMU and EMU as the score was tied nine times to go along with four lead changes. It was a back and forth affair early in the set before Eastern Michigan rattled off a 6-0 run to earn a 12-9 lead. The Broncos weathered the storm and rallied back, going on a 3-0 run of its own to tie the match at 12-12.

After an Eastern Michigan attack error to tie the match at 16, Western Michigan rattled off three straight points to gain a 19-16 lead before EMU countered with a 4-1 run to tie the match at 21-21. Out of a timeout, Western Michigan battled back winning the final four points of the set to earn a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set (WMU – 25-, EMU – 9)
It was all Western Michigan in the third set as WMU hit a staggering .385 while holding Eastern Michigan to a -.094 attack percentage. The final set for the Broncos was highlighted by a 10-1 run that saw the Broncos jump out to a 16-4 lead. Six different Broncos registered a kill in the third set with freshman Andelyn Simkins posting a team-high three in the third.