BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Western Michigan volleyball team fell 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16) to Northern Kentucky on Thursday in the opening match of the Indiana Invitational.
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky 3, Western Michigan 1
LOCATION: Wilkinson Hall (Bloomington, Ind.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (1-3) | Northern Kentucky (2-2)
Leah Richmond recorded the third double-double of her young collegiate career, posting 30 assists and a career-high 16 digs. The redshirt freshman also contributed a career-high seven blocks to Western Michigan's season-high 12 rejections.
Annalise Patchett paced the Broncos in kills for the third time in four matches with 11, while
Molly Brown was also in double-figures again with 10. Joining Richmond with double-digit digs were
Elana Erickson (14) and
Ella Guilfoy (11). Guilfoy's 11 digs established a new career best.
In the first set, Western Michigan broke a 10-10 deadlock with a five-point run to grab a 15-10 lead. At 18-14, the Broncos put together another four consecutive points to increase the margin to 22-14, and cruised from there to claim the opening frame.
Northern Kentucky tallied six of the first eight points of the second, but the Broncos were able to work their way back even at 11-11. Tied again at 12-12, NKU broke the deadlock with a four-point spurt to move back in front, 16-12. Western Michigan briefly closed the gap to one, 16-15, but a 5-0 response increased the Norse's advantage to 21-15. WMU worked its way back to within two in the closing stages, but Northern Kentucky held on to even the contest at one apiece.
Trailing 11-9 in the third, the Brown and Gold ripped off eight consecutive points to build a 17-11 lead. NKU answered right back with six straight of its own to even it up at 17-17. The two teams went back and forth until 21-21, when the Norse closed out the frame with four straight points to grab a 2-1 match advantage.
A 10-0 run helped Northern Kentucky break an early tie and open up a 14-4 advantage in the fourth, and it kept WMU at bay for the remainder of the set to seal the victory.
The Broncos continue play at the Indiana Invitational on Friday with a pair of matches. Western Michigan is set to take on Southeast Missouri State at 1 pm and Indiana at 7 pm.
