ATHENS, Ohio – The Western Michigan volleyball team fought back from two sets down to force a decisive fifth, but ultimately fell in five (25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 24-26, 15-6) at Ohio on Friday night.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio 3, Western Michigan 2
LOCATION: Convocation Center (Athens, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (14-8, 6-5 MAC) | Ohio (13-10, 6-6)
Izzy Swiercz tied her career high with 16 kills to lead the Western Michigan attack, while
Annalise Patchett notched her eighth double-double of the season, collecting 13 kills and 14 digs.
Leah Richmond handed out 38 assists and picked up eight digs.
Carley Piercefield collected 22 digs, one shy of her career high.
Even at 9-9 in the first, Ohio used a 5-2 spurt to take a 14-11 edge. A three-point burst then extended OU's advantage to 18-13. At 19-15, the Bobcats ran off six of the final seven points to take the opening stanza.
A pair of three-point runs helped OU get out to a 12-7 lead in the second. The margin bounced back and forth between three and five until a 4-1 stretch increased Ohio's edge to 24-18. WMU fought off four straight set points to keep the frame alive, but the Bobcats put it away at 25-22 to take a 2-0 match advantage into the break.
Trailing 13-11 in the third, Western Michigan ran off five consecutive points to move in front, 16-13. After the two teams traded runs, the Bobcats pulled to within one at 20-19. The Broncos then closed out the frame with five of the next seven to keep the match going to a fourth set.
Ohio built a 12-6 advantage to open up the fourth. The Brown and Gold countered with an 8-1 surge to overtake the Bobcats at 14-13. Deadlocked at 18-18, WMU ran off three in a row to regain the lead. OU countered, drawing level at 23-23 and again at 24-24. A service error gave the Broncos another set point opportunity, and Richmond rejected one at the net to send the contest into a decisive fifth frame.
The Bobcats tallied seven of the first nine points in the fifth set. WMU closed the gap to four on several occasions, but drew no closer, as Ohio sealed the victory.
The Broncos continue their road trip on Saturday at Kent State. First serve is set for 4 pm on
ESPN+.
