ATHENS, Ohio – After dropping the first set, the Western Michigan volleyball team bounced back to take the next three and claim a four-set victory (11-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15) at Ohio on Thursday night. With the win, the Broncos locked up the number two seed and a bye to the semifinals of next weekend's MAC Tournament.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Ohio 1
LOCATION: Convocation Center (Athens, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (16-14, 13-4 MAC) | Ohio (13-16, 11-6)
 
Leah Richmond racked up 34 assists and 12 digs to collect her seventh straight and 24th overall double-double of the campaign. The redshirt freshman set up the duo of Mary Clare Brusek and Annalise Patchett for 11 kills apiece.
 
Defensively, five Broncos had eight or more digs, led by Reeghan Boyer's 17. Richmond added 12 to the cause, Elana Erickson and Carley Piercefield contributed nine apiece and Maddie Kmetz pitched in eight. Molly Brown and Amanda Glanton each collected a team-high five blocks.
 
An 11-1 surge helped Ohio charge out to a 15-4 advantage in the first set, and the home team held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the opening frame.
 
The Broncos tallied five straight points to grab a 7-5 edge early in the second. At 12-10, WMU notched another three in a row to increase the margin to 15-10. Ohio fought back and drew level at 18-18. Tied up again at 20-20, Western Michigan then reeled off the next five points to claim the set and even the match at 1-1.
 
In the third, a 7-5 Ohio edge was wiped out by a six-point run which put the Broncos ahead, 11-7. The Bobcats worked their way back to within one, 14-13, but Western Michigan responded with six in a row to stretch the lead out to 20-13. The hosts got as close as 22-18, but three final tallies put the frame away for the Brown and Gold, 25-18.
 
The fourth played out in similar fashion. The Bobcats held an 8-6 advantage, but WMU answered with a 9-1 surge to open up a 15-9 cushion. A 7-2 run then increased Western Michigan's lead to 10, 23-13, putting the frame beyond reach.
 
The Broncos and Bobcats meet again on Friday evening to close out the regular season. First serve is once again slated for 6 pm.