PEORIA, Ill. – The Western Michigan volleyball team began its final weekend of non-conference play with a 3-0 win over St. Thomas and 3-1 victory against Bradley on Friday at the CEFCU Classic in Peoria, Ill.
 
FINAL SCORE (M1): Western Michigan 3, St. Thomas 0
LOCATION: Renaissance Coliseum (Peoria, Ill.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (6-4) | St. Thomas (2-8)
 
FINAL SCORE (M2): Western Michigan 3, Bradley 1
LOCATION: Renaissance Coliseum (Peoria, Ill.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (7-4) | Bradley (3-7)
 
Western Michigan hit .313 as a team in the 3-0 victory over St. Thomas to start the day. Maggie King tallied a match-high 17 kills while hitting .341 to lead the WMU attack. Julia Marr notched 16 kills on a .407 hitting percentage and added a career-high 20 digs for her third double-double of the season. Amanda Glanton chipped in seven kills on a .385 hitting percentage.
 
Logan Case collected 38 assists and pitched in eight digs. Andelyn Simkins came just shy of a double-double, as the junior recorded nine digs and a career-high eight assists.
 
A 5-1 run helped Western Michigan get out to a 13-8 advantage in the first set. Trailing 14-9, St. Thomas countered with a 6-1 surge to even the frame at 15-15. The Broncos broke a 16-16 tie with three consecutive points to nudge back in front, 19-16. The Tommies got back within a point at 23-22, but Marr tallied back-to-back kills to give WMU the opening frame.
 
The Broncos used a 7-1 surge to get out to a 9-5 edge in the second set. St. Thomas tallied four straight points to draw level, but Western Michigan answered with six in a row to regain the lead, 15-9. WMU continued to pull away from there to take a 2-0 edge into the break.
 
Runs of 4-1 and 4-0 helped Western Michigan build a 13-6 lead in the third frame. The Tommies used an 8-2 stretch to close the gap to three, 17-14. Holding a 19-15 advantage, the Broncos got a pair of kills apiece from King and Glanton to put the set out of reach and seal the straight-set victory.
 
Against Bradley, Marr led the three Broncos who recorded double-digit kills with a match-high 14. King tallied 11, while Glanton hammered down a career high tying 10 while hitting a blistering .529 for the evening. Case handed out 50 assists and registered eight digs.
 
Defensively, Simkins totaled 18 digs, while King added 15 to notch her third double-double of the season. Glanton and Madison Merz had four blocks apiece.
 
Bradley got out to a 13-7 advantage in the opening set. Western Michigan responded with six straight points which sparked a 9-1 surge to move the Broncos ahead, 16-14. The Braves countered with six consecutive points of their own to regain the lead, 20-16. WMU trimmed the margin to one a couple of times, but the hosts held on to take the first set.
 
In the second set, a five-point spurt gave the Broncos a 12-8 advantage. Bradley fought back, and eventually drew level at 16-16. With the two teams tied again at 22-22, the Braves made back-to-back errors to bring Western Michigan to set point. The hosts fought off one set point, but a King kill sealed the set for WMU, and sent the match into the break tied at 1-1. As a team, the Broncos hit .394 in the second frame.
 
Holding an 8-7 edge in the third set, Western Michigan reeled off six consecutive points to ignite a 14-1 surge which helped the Broncos cruise to a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
A six-point run once again helped WMU create separation in the fourth set, as a 10-9 deficit turned into a 15-10 advantage. The Braves closed the gap to 17-15, but WMU pushed back, and extended the margin back out to 21-15. Bradley got no closer than three the rest of the way, and Glanton sealed the WMU victory with her 10th kill of the contest.
 
Western Michigan finishes out its non-conference slate on Saturday afternoon against IUPUI. First serve against the Jaguars is set for 3 pm.