OMAHA, Neb. – The Western Michigan volleyball team rode a hot start to a straight-set victory (25-6, 25-20, 25-12) over Chicago State on Friday afternoon at the Omaha Tournament.
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Chicago State 0
LOCATION: Baxter Arena (Omaha, Neb.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (5-0) | Chicago State (0-5)
Leah Richmond filled up the stats sheet for the Broncos, totaling 31 assists, eight kills on nine swings (.889 hitting percentage), eight digs and three service aces. The redshirt sophomore set up
Gabby Weihe (.692) and
Annalise Patchett (.316) for a team-high 11 kills apiece and helped the Brown and Gold hit a season-best .344 for the afternoon.
Carley Piercefield anchored the defensive performance with a team-leading 11 digs.
As they did on Thursday night against tournament host Omaha, the Broncos started fast in the first set, using 7-1 and 7-2 runs to race out to a 15-5 lead. Following a Chicago State kill to make it 15-6, Western Michigan ripped off 10 consecutive points, including three service aces from
Cassidy Pratley, to take the first frame, 25-6. WMU hit a sizzling .625 and did not commit an attacking error in the opening stanza.
With Chicago State holding a 12-10 edge in the second, Western Michigan ratted off five in a row to move back in front, 15-12. The Cougars countered with five straight of their own to regain the advantage, 17-15. Trailing 20-18, the Broncos tallied seven points in a row to close out the set and take a 2-0 match lead into the break.
The Brown and Gold caught fire once again at the outset of the third frame, surging into an 18-6 advantage. With the lead at 22-12, Richmond put down back-to-back kills and
Izzy Swiercz served up an ace to seal the sweep for WMU.
Western Michigan wraps up play at the Omaha Tournament on Saturday afternoon against Louisiana Tech. First serve is set for 12 pm.
