KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team knocked off Toledo for the second consecutive day, dispatching the Rockets in straight sets (25-15, 25-20, 25-18) on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
LOCATION: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (13-6, 5-3 MAC) | Toledo (14-4, 6-2)
Leah Richmond recorded 36 assists and a team-high 12 digs to help Western Michigan hit a season-best .374 in the contest.
Annalise Patchett put down a team-leading 15 kills on a .314 hitting percentage,
Gabby Weihe notched 12 kills while hitting .474 and
Cassidy Pratley collected 11 kills on a .556 hitting percentage.
Elana Erickson contributed 10 digs for the Brown and Gold and
Carley Piercefield totaled eight digs and seven assists.
Western Michigan seized the momentum early, tallying six of the contest's first seven points on the way to a 12-3 start. With the margin at 14-6, the Brown and Gold used a three-point burst to increase the cushion to double-digits, 17-6, and led by no fewer than eight for the remainder of the frame.
The second stanza was back and forth until a three-point spurt helped the Broncos move ahead, 19-16. Toledo fought back to within one a couple of times, including 20-19, but a kill and then solo block by Pratley sparked a 5-1 run to close out the set for WMU.
The Broncos started the third quickly, tallying the first four points and eight of the first 10 for an 8-2 lead. Toledo clawed its way to within three, 15-12, but WMU countered with five in a row to up the margin to 20-12, and kept the Rockets at a comfortable distance the rest of the way.
Western Michigan continues its four-match homestand next weekend with a pair of contests against Buffalo. First serve for Friday's series opener against the Bulls is set for 6 pm. For tickets to any WMU volleyball home match, visit
wmubroncos.com/tickets.
