KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team officially christened Kathy Beauregard Court with a straight-set victory (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) over Ohio on Thursday evening.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Ohio 0
LOCATION: Kathy Beauregard Court at University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (6-10, 2-3 MAC) | Ohio (6-10, 2-3)
Fueled by
Logan Case's 36 assists, the WMU attack hit a season-best .354 for the night.
Julia Marr tallied a team-high 13 kills on a .320 hitting percentage.
Keona Salesman (.333) and
Mary Clare Brusek (.571) notched eight kills apiece, and
Anna Calcagno (.273) chipped in seven kills.
Andelyn Simkins anchored the defensive effort with 11 digs, while Case and
Reeghan Boyer each recorded eight.
With the first frame even at 8-8, Western Michigan notched four consecutive points to open up a 12-8 advantage. Ohio closed the gap to 13-12, but the Broncos countered with six of the next eight to increase the cushion to five, 19-14. The Bobcats worked their way back to within three, 22-19, before WMU put the frame away with three of the last four.
The Brown and Gold rolled out to an 8-4 lead in the second set. At 12-8, Western Michigan used a 5-1 stretch to up the margin to 17-9. WMU led by no fewer than seven the rest of the way, as it cruised to a 2-0 match advantage.
The Broncos again got out in front in the early stages of the third frame, grabbing a 9-5 edge. Ohio battled its way back even at 12-12. The Bobcats briefly moved ahead, 17-16, but Western Michigan came back with a 6-2 run to take a 22-19 lead. The visitors responded with four straight to overtake WMU, 23-22. The Brown and Gold then nabbed the final three points of the night, with kills by
Madison Merz and Calcagno, followed by an OU error, sealing the straight-set victory for the home team.
Western Michigan continues its homestand on Friday evening as it welcomes Kent State to University Arena at 6 pm. For tickets to any WMU home match, visit
wmubroncos.com/tickets.
