KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After dropping the first set, the Western Michigan volleyball team rallied for a 3-1 win (12-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21) over Northern Illinois on Tuesday evening at University Arena.
After they were held to an .026 hitting percentage in the first set, the Broncos (10-4, 3-0) hit .296 over the final three frames, including registering a .353 mark in the fourth set.
Julia Marr paced the Western Michigan attack with a career-high 18 kills on a .516 hitting percentage.
Andelyn Simkins and
Meredith Phillips each added 11 kills, with Simkins also collecting 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Logan Case continued her run of consecutive double-doubles, picking up her fifth straight after notching 46 assists and 12 digs.
Mairead Boyle led WMU in digs for the evening with 25.
After Northern Illinois (7-6, 1-2) notched the first point of the evening, a 4-0 WMU run gave the hosts the early 4-1 edge. The Huskies answered with a 4-0 run of their own to move ahead, 6-5. With Western Michigan on top, 8-7, NIU tallied 13 consecutive points to regain the lead, 20-8, and put the first frame beyond reach.
The Huskies tallied five straight points early in the second set to grab a 9-5 advantage. Western Michigan countered with three in a row to spark a 10-2 surge, which put WMU ahead, 15-11. Northern Illinois battled back to even the set at 16-16. A 5-2 spurt gave the Broncos the edge once again, 21-18. NIU drew within one four separate times, but Western Michigan staved off the rally, and sealed the set on a
Madison Merz kill.
Holding a 9-8 lead in the third set, WMU embarked on a 5-0 run to extend its advantage to 14-8. NIU trimmed the deficit back to three, 16-13, but the Broncos answered with four straight to up the margin to 20-13. The Huskies did not go away, and rallied back to within one at 21-20. Once again Western Michigan withstood the NIU charge, and went ahead 2-1 in the contest on a set-sealing kill by Phillips.
A 6-1 WMU run early in the fourth frame helped the hosts get some breathing room, 11-5. Northern Illinois chipped away, getting as close as 16-12, before Western Michigan stretched its lead back out to 20-13. The Huskies worked the deficit down to 23-20, but could not get any closer, as the Broncos held on to remain unbeaten in conference play.
WMU continues its three-match homestand on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1-2, against Central Michigan. First serve for Friday's series opener is slated for 6 pm. To purchase tickets, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.
