YPSILANTI, Mich. – Fueled by a season-high 14 blocks, the Western Michigan volleyball team put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season in a straight-set victory (25-14, 25-22, 25-15) at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday evening.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Eastern Michigan 0
LOCATION: Gervin GameAbove Center (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (15-9, 7-6 MAC) | Eastern Michigan (10-15, 4-9)
Gabby Weihe led the defensive effort up front with a career-high 10 block assists, while
Annalise Patchett chipped in five. Four Broncos recorded eight or more digs, paced by
Izzy Swiercz with 11.
Elana Erickson chipped in 10 digs,
Carley Piercefield collected nine and
Leah Richmond had eight. Western Michigan's blocking and digging combined to hold EMU to a -.018 team hitting percentage, the first time the Brown and Gold have kept an opponent below a .000 hitting percentage in a match since 2021.
Swiercz paced WMU on the offensive end with 11 kills, while Patchett recorded nine and
Cassidy Pratley totaled eight. Richmond filled up the stats sheet with 36 assists, eight digs, five kills and four blocks.
Western Michigan got off to a quick start, picking up the first four points of the night. At 9-5, the Brown and Gold put together a 5-1 run to extend the margin to 14-6. The Eagles got no closer than six for the rest of the set, with WMU cruising in the frame, 25-14.
A four-point spurt gave Eastern Michigan a 12-9 edge in the second set. The Broncos later countered with four straight points of their own as part of a 6-1 stretch to move ahead, 18-15. The Eagles closed to within one, 20-19, but Western Michigan rattled off the next three points to help stave off EMU and take a 2-0 match advantage into the break.
WMU tallied seven of the first 10 points to seize control early in the third. With the margin at 11-7, the Brown and Gold picked up six consecutive points to begin a 9-1 surge which put the frame, and the match, beyond reach.
Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Saturday for Senior Day against Bowling Green. First serve is slated for 4 pm. For tickets to any WMU volleyball home match, visit
wmubroncos.com/tickets.
