KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team wraps up non-conference play this week with a pair of matches in Milwaukee.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Match One: Friday, Sept. 18 | 3 pm | WMU vs. St. Thomas |
LIVE STATS
Match Two: Saturday, Sept. 19 | 5 pm | WMU at Milwaukee |
LIVE STATS
FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUVolleyball
NON-CONFERENCE FINALE
Western Michigan wraps up non-conference play this weekend with a pair of contests in Milwaukee. The Broncos are slated to face St. Thomas in a neutral site match on Friday, and then take on Milwaukee on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
WMU is coming off of a pair of setbacks last weekend at the UIC-DePaul Invitational, dropping both contests in three sets.
Annalise Patchett was named to the All-Tournament Team after posting a team-leading 3.17 kills per set on a .432 hitting percentage, and chipping in 12 digs (2.00/set) and four blocks (0.67/set) to the defensive effort.
THE OPPONENTS
St. Thomas comes into the weekend at 2-5 after splitting last weekend with Miami (FL) and #13 Minnesota. The Broncos and Tommies have met just once prior to Friday, with WMU earning a sweep victory at a tournament hosted by Bradley back in 2022. Milwaukee enters tournament play at 5-3, having rebounded from an 0-3 start to win five consecutive contests. Western Michigan is 9-5 all-time against the Panthers, and won the most recenter encounter back in 2023 in Kalamazoo.
SETTING THE TABLE
An All-MAC First Team and MAC All-Freshman Team selection in 2025, setter
Leah Richmond continues to fuel the Western Michigan attack, leading the MAC and ranking 25th in the nation at 10.32 assists per set. Richmond's distrubution has helped the Brown and Gold hit over .300 twice, and has them ranked fourth in the league and 52nd in NCAA Division I with a .261 team hitting percentage.
BALANCED BRONCOS
Through Richmond's distribution, Western Michigan has used a balanced offensive attack through the season's first few weeks, with four different Broncos having recorded double-digit kills at least once in 2026. The trio of
Annalise Patchett,
Izzy Swiercz and
Gabby Weihe are all above 2.50 kills per set, with Patchett sitting ninth in the conference with 3.10 kills per set. Weihe comes into the weekend ranking third in the league and 46th nationally with a .401 hitting percentage.
PORTAL PRODUCTS
Western Michigan picked up a pair of players in the transfer portal over the offseason in
Izzy Swiercz (Central Michigan) and
Gabby Weihe (Western Kentucky). Both have started each of the first nine matches for the Brown and Gold and rank second and third, respectively, on the team in kills. Weihe has led the charge for the Broncos up front, ranking fourth in the MAC in blocks per set (1.06) and sixth in total blocks (33). The senior's blocking prowess has WMU ranked third in the league in blocks per set (2.10) and fourth in total blocks (65.0).
