KENT, Ohio – The Western Michigan volleyball team fought back to force a decisive fifth set for the second consecutive day, but it again fell in five, with Kent State claiming the 3-2 victory (25-15, 23-25, 25-17, 20-25, 15-13) on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Kent State 3, Western Michigan 2
LOCATION: M.A.C. Center (Kent, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (14-9, 6-6 MAC) | Kent State (11-12, 5-7)
Leah Richmond notched her 12th double-double of the campaign, compiling a career-high 62 assists to go with 14 digs. The redshirt sophomore set up three teammates for double-digit kills, with
Izzy Swiercz setting a new career high with 20 kills and
Annalise Patchett picking up 20 of her own to equal her career best.
Gabby Weihe added 12 kills for the Brown and Gold. WMU also racked up 10 service aces, with
Elana Erickson and
Bri Zimmerman tallying three apiece.
Erickson registered a team-leading 21 digs for Western Michigan and
Carley Piercefield was not far behind with 19. Patchett (15) and Swiercz (13) were also in double-figures to notch double-doubles of their own.
Kent State got out to a 7-3 start in the opening frame. At 15-11, the Golden Flashes proceeded to rattle off six of the next seven to extend the margin to 21-12 and put the first set beyond reach.
A four-point burst helped Western Michigan open up a 12-7 advantage in the second. The Golden Flashes answered, using a 6-1 run to climb back in it and eventually even the set at 19-19. Tied again at 23-23, Swiercz broke the deadlock with a kill and then combined with Weihe on a block to claim the frame for the Broncos, 25-23.
The Golden Flashes started fast in the third, building an early 9-4 edge. A 5-1 run then helped the hosts increase the margin to 17-9, and they led by no fewer than six for the remainder of the set on the way to regaining the match lead, 2-1.
Western Michigan broke a 6-6 tie in the fourth with a four-point burst. Kent State came right back, picking up the next five points to go ahead, 11-10. The back and forth continued, with the Brown and Gold tallying three in a row for a 14-12 edge. KSU closed the gap to one at 20-19, but the Broncos notched five of the next six to send the contest to a decisive fifth frame.
Kent State grabbed a 6-3 edge in the early stages of the fifth set. A four-point burst then put Western Michigan in front, 9-8. At 10-9, the Golden Flashes tallied three straight for a 12-10 lead. WMU got even at 12-12 and again at 13-13, but KSU picked up the final two points of the match to claim the victory.
The Broncos wrap up their three-match road swing on Tuesday evening at Eastern Michigan. First serve is slated for 6 pm on
ESPN+.
