Courtesy of MAC Sport Informationi Departments
Akron 3, Seton Hall 0 // Box Score
Akron 3, Eastern Kentucky 0 // Box Score
The Akron volleyball team earned a sweep on the final day of the Akron Invitational, defeating both Eastern Kentucky and Seton Hall in three sets.
The Zips earned a clean 3-0 sweep in the invitational and improved to 5-4 on the season.
In the win over Eastern Kentucky, Akron was led on offense by senior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio), who finished with 10 kills and hit an astounding .600 on the match. Also contributing were junior Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio), and senior Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.) who finished with 9 and 8 kills, respectively. Junior Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) had a team-best 33 assists, while defensively Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) led the way with 11 digs.
The Zips carried its momentum from day one into day two, gaining an early 5-1 lead, forcing Eastern Kentucky to call its first timeout. The Zips were able to maintain the lead for the duration of the set, thanks to solid play on both sides of the ball.
The Zips were able to take the first set 25-16, thanks to a four-point service run by Adleta, which included two kills by junior Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio) and two errors from the opponents.
The second set was identical to the first, as Akron found itself ahead 5-1 early, capped off with a kill by Karsner. After a few short runs, the Zips were able to extend the score to 19-7 and coast to an easy second set win.
Akron once again found itself ahead 5-1 in the third set, thanks in large part to the struggling offense of the Colonels. A kill by Adleta and a block by Richardson eventually put them ahead, 9-2.
The Colonels, however, would not go down without a fight. After nearly going point-for-point to extend the score to 20-10 in favor Akron, Eastern Kentucky were able to rattle off four consecutive points of its own, decreasing the deficit to just six, (20-14).
After each team traded a couple points, a five-point run narrowed the deficit even further, with the Colonels now only down by two, 21-19. The Zips, however, stood its ground and went on to take the final set, 25-22, thanks to a match-deciding kill by Richardson.
"We continued to have the upper hand in serve and pass again today, which is always a goal of ours. We did a nice job siding out for the most part and were fairly consistent in getting them out of system. Hopefully we'll be able to continue our solid serve and pass tonight against Seton Hall" said coach Tom Hanna.
Against Seton Hall, Richardson led for the second straight game, recording 13 kills and 0 errors (.542). Akron also saw contributions from Adleta and Karsner who finished with 10 and 8 kills, respectively. Weigand dished out 37 assists to her strong hitters. Defensively, the Zips were stout, finishing with 11 blocks, including 3 by Weigand and 2 and a half by Richardson.
The Zips jumped out of the gate early, gaining an early 6-2 lead over the Pirates. Both teams were evenly matched and fought hard, however the aggressive Zips' offense, accompanied by stellar defense made every point a battle.
The Pirates were able to gain some ground and tie the game at 16, and eventually again at 18. After a kill by Richardson gave Akron the lead, Karsner was able to serve up a five-point run, which included blocks on three of those points as well as an ace. A kill by Adleta put the first set away, 25-19.
The second set was another battle for both teams. The Pirates were able to find a groove early and attain a 7-3 lead over Akron, forcing them to call its first timeout. Out of the timeout, a four-point run by the Zips knotted the score at seven.
From there, the match saw Akron hold a consistent two-point lead over its opponent, eventually bringing the score to 21-20 in favor of the Zips. Kills by Kelly, Weigand and Fulmer, as well as an ace, propelled the Zips to take the second set, 25-20.
The third set followed suit of the first two, as neither team led by more than four points throughout the set. The Pirates were able to maintain a lead for the first half of the set, however an attack error by the Pirates eventually put Akron up 16-15.
The game was once again tied at 16, until another error by Seton Hall put the Zips up by one, as they would not look back, eventually taking the final set, 25-22.
"It was nice to see serve and pass be more dominant this weekend. Our pin hitting is steadily improving and, when combined with a great performance by Richardson, our offense is a little more threatening" said Tom Hanna on his team's performance in the invitational.
Ball State 2, Cincinnati 3 // Box Score
Ball State 1, Notre Dame 3 // Box Score
Despite jumping out to a pair of early leads, the Ball State women's volleyball team closed play in the NKU Invitational with a pair of tough losses Saturday at Regents Hall.
"We can take a lot of positive things from this weekend," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We competed hard and never stopped battling. Our team is gaining confidence each time we compete and are continuing to get better and better each weekend."
In the opener, the Cardinals (4-5) took the first two sets off a talented Cincinnati squad which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Unfortunately, the Bearcats (6-2) took a page for Ball State's Friday night playbook and rallied to win the match 3-2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-17, 15-11).
In the afternoon match, Ball State took the first set from a Notre Dame squad which handed nationally-ranked Purdue its first loss of the season last week. However, the Fighting Irish (6-2) would battle back and win the match 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-22, 26-24).
Leading the Ball State offense in both matches, freshman outside Natalie Mitchem. A native of Bolingbrook, Illinois, Mitchem smashed 18 kills and hit an impressive .350 (18-4-30) against Cincinnati. She followed with 15 kills and a .160 (15-7-50) rate of success in the nightcap versus Notre Dame. She also collected eight total blocks on the day, while earning six digs.
"Natalie Mitchem took some big swings and was a physical presence today," Phillips said. "She is getting more comfortable on the left side and really starting to understand that position."
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek turned in another solid day as well, registering five blocks in each match. She also finished the day with 15 total kills. For her play over the two-day event, VanBeek was named to the NKU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Another big contributor on offense for the Cardinals was freshman opposite Allison Hamaker who scored 15 kills in the opener and eight in the nightcap. She also hit .343 (15-3-35) against the Bearcats.
Defensively, senior libero Kate Avila corralled a team-high 35 digs on the day, including a match-high 21 versus the Fighting Irish. Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber also collected double-digit digs in both contests, including a team-high 15 versus Cincinnati. In addition, freshman defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach was credited with a career-high 18 digs versus Notre Dame.
Freshman Esther Grussing ran the Ball State offense to a .261 (62-20-161) rate of success against Cincinnati, handing out 50 assists in the match. She was smashed five kills in each contest, while earning 14 total digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge with a 7 p.m. first serve versus Austin Peay. The Cardinals will also host Wright State and Missouri State in the four-team event, with match times of noon and 7 p.m., respectively, Saturday.
"It will be great to get back in front of the home crowd this coming weekend," Phillips added. "We have improved a ton since opening weekend and I really think our fans will see how hard we've been working. It's going to be a very high-level tournament, so lots of great volleyball for the fans."
Bowling Green 1, Tulane 3 // Box Score
Bowling Green 0, Ohio State 3 // Box Score
The Bowling Green State University volleyball program faced Tulane and Ohio State on Saturday (Sept. 14) to conclude their portion of the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational in Bowling Green, Ky. The Falcons came up short in both matches, but saw senior setter Isabelle Marciniak etch her name in the top five of program history for career assists in the Orange and Brown.
Set Scores
v. Tulane
Set 1 - Bowling Green 25, Tulane 19
Set 2 - Tulane 25, Bowling Green 19
Set 3 - Tulane 29, Bowling Green 27
Set 4 - Tulane 25, Bowling Green 17
v. Ohio State
Set 1 - Ohio State 27, Bowling Green 25
Set 2 - Ohio State 25, Bowling Green 21
Set 3 - Ohio State 25, Bowling Green 16
All-Tournament Selection
From the Falcons, Petra Indrova was named to the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational All-Tournament team. Indrova totaled 32 kills over the three matches.
Play-By-Play Notes
v. Tulane
The Falcons jumped out in front in the first set against the Green Wave, sustaining the lead throughout the set to take the early advantage.
After trailing 20-10, the Falcons closed the set making a 9-4 run before Tulane finished the set, moving the match to an even 1-1 tie.
Beginning with a tie at 16-16, the third set was back-and-forth between both teams with neither able to pull away. Needing extra points, Tulane clinched the set at 29-27.
v. Ohio State
Late in the first set, the Falcons went on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 22. Of the five points, four came off of block assists by freshmen Petra Indrova and Lexi Sauber.
Trailing 24-23 late in the first set, Katie Kidwell recorded back-to-back kills, but the Buckeyes ended up on top at the conclusion of the set.
Beginning the second set down 8-0, a timeout by Bowling Green queued up a five point run to put the Falcons back in the set.
In the second set, the Falcons made effort after effort, but the Buckeyes stayed out in front to take a two set advantage.
Strong Individual Performances
v. Tulane
Isabelle Marciniak tallied 39 assists, putting her just three shy of taking over fifth all-time in program history for the category. Marciniak also added 13 digs to give her another double-double on the season.
Taylor Haberland set a new career high in digs, registering her first 20-dig match of her career as well with exactly 20.
Jacqueline Askin led the team in both kills, with 12, and in service aces, hitting three over the course of the match.
Katie Kidwell contributed one block solo along with four block assists in the match.
v. Ohio State
Logging three quick assists, Isabelle Marciniak surpassed Amber Mareski for fifth all-time in program history for career assists. With 29 in the match, Marciniak now has 3,146, putting her 248 away from tying Laura Avila for fourth all-time.
Petra Indrova led the Falcons in kills for the match, compiling 15 over the three sets, including a .481 hitting percentage.
For the second consecutive match, Taylor Haberland led Bowling Green in digs, tallying 13 against Ohio State.
Buffalo 2, North Dakota State 3
Box Score
The University at Buffalo volleyball team claimed the first two sets on Saturday morning, but the Bulls ultimately dropped a 3-2 contest to the host Bison in the final match of the NDSU Classic.
North Dakota State took the contest 26-28, 19-25, 25-7, 25-20, 15-12 despite the Bulls outhitting the Bison, .214 to .196. However, it came down to each team's performance at the service line as North Dakota State recorded 12 aces in the match, while the Bulls had just one ace and 11 service errors.
The Bulls trailed for most of the opening set, including an 18-14 deficit, when UB scored four straight to tie up the set. The Bison regained a 23-21 lead, but three straight points by the Bulls gave Buffalo a set point. NDSU would fight off three set points before UB got a kill from senior Rachel Sanks and an NDSU attack error to clinch the set.
In the second set, the two teams found themselves tied at 15-15 when the Bulls went on a 5-0 run to take a 20-15 lead. A block from senior Kristina Nieves and freshman Abby Leigh clinched the set for Buffalo and gave UB the 2-0 lead into the break.
However, North Dakota State responded beginning with a 12-1 run to open the third set. The Bison won the third easily, but the Bulls tried to fight back in the fourth. A service ace from junior Lexi Nordmann gave UB a 15-13 lead and Buffalo continued to lead 18-16 when NDSU scored five straight to take the lead. In all, it was a 9-2 run for the Bison to force a fifth set.
The fifth was also a tight one as the team were tied at 7-7 midway through, but NDSU would go on to take the lead late and come away with a 15-12 win in to clinch the match.
Sanks set a new career high with 20 kills to lead all players in the match. Senior Polina Prokudina and redshirt sophomore Monika Simkova added nine kills, while Nordmann had seven. Senior Scout McLerran finished with 30 assists, while freshman Emma Puzausky added 13.
Defensively, sophomore Paige Beck tied her career high with 20 digs and freshman Jenna Sonnenberg added 10. Nieves had a team-high six blocks, including a solo, to lead the way.
Following the match, Nordmann was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Central Michigan 3, Holy Cross 0 // Box Score
Central Michigan 3, Valparaiso 1 // Box Score
The Central Michigan Volleyball team finished its weekend at the DePaul Invitational on Saturday with back-to-back victories, the first over Valparaiso, and the second over Holy Cross.
CMU, which fell in four sets to the host Blue Demons on Friday, is 7-2, matching the number of wins it posted last season.
The Chippewas dropped just one set in their two matches on Saturday.
Vs. Valparaiso
CMU beat Valparaiso in four sets 25-23, 25-23, 18-25 25-19.
Kalina Smith led CMU in kills with 15, Kendall Braate led in assists with 30, and Megan Kern led in digs with 26.
"I thought those first two sets against Valpo were very closely contested," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "We found a way to make a play in both of those sets to put them on the edge. There's not a big difference between winning and losing (a set) by two points. Sometimes it's just a play here or there.
"I don't know if we played a very clean match, as far as our quality of contact. It can be challenging to play at 10 a.m. It was a quick turnaround from the night before. But I do think we were gritty in those first two sets in finding a way to win two close ones. I think it was a really great win to bounce back from (the loss to DePaul)."
Vs. Holy Cross
CMU defeated Holy Cross, 25-20, 25-13, 25-19.
Smith led CMU in kills with 12 on a .333 hitting percentage. She also led in digs with 11, while Kern added 10. Sierra Gray posted 10 kills, while Grace Butler led the Chippewa setting with 19 assists.
The Chippewas finished with a .299 attack percentage against the Crusaders after posting a .110 attack percentage against Valpo.
"One of the things we wanted to do against a team like Holy Cross is to not (commit) too many errors," Gawlik said. "In set one and set two, we made two attacking errors on either side. We're a tough team to beat when we're not giving teams free points.
"Set three, we had a little more errors early on. It was a little bit more even. We were able to make a big push at the end with our service pressure, and got our block going. I thought our block got going in the final two games of the weekend. We had 19 blocks (on Saturday), in two matches. That's a fair amount with where we were at last weekend, and Friday night (against DePaul). Overall, I was pretty pleased."
All-Tournament Team
Smith and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez were named to the all-tournament team. In Saturday's two matches, Smith had 27 kills and 30 digs, while Rosario-Martinez finished with 20 kills, seven digs.
Eastern Michigan 2, Navy 3
Box Score
Despite a career performance from sophomore Julia Fisher (Kailua, Hawaii-Le Jardin Academy), Eastern Michigan University volleyball team opened the Michigan Challenge with a five-set loss to Navy, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 26-28, 15-13, at the Convocation Center Saturday, Sept. 14.
After jumping ahead in the first set, the Eagles (3-4) could not keep the Mids (4-4) at bay in the second, putting the match at 1-1 heading into the break. Eastern came out firing in the third, hitting .250 while holding Navy to a .000 percentage, but the Green and White could not close out the match.
The Midshipmen outlasted the Eagles in a thrilling fourth set, dispatching the Eagles 28-26. Despite a furious rally in the fifth and final set, Eastern could not overcome an early five-point deficit and fell in its first match in the Convo of 2019.
Helping Fisher on the offensive attack was freshman Alayna Janksy (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago), who also tallied a career-high in kills with 12. Junior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) notched 10 kills and 15 digs for her sixth double-double in seven games, and senior Camille Schomear (Rochester, Mich.-Oakland Christian) tallied a season-best 23 digs.
Though finishing the match with just six kills, redshirt senior Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central)provided 13 points thanks to a season-high eight total blocks (two solo, six assist). Senior Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) distributed 26 assists and had a season-high two aces while also adding seven digs and two kills. Freshman Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) racked up a career-high 26 assists in the match.
Kent State 1, Army 3
Box Score
The Kent State volleyball team has lost consecutive matches for the first time this season following a 3-1 (23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 16-25) setback to host Army West Point on Saturday. The Golden Flashes (6-4) finished with a 1-2 record at the Black Knights Invitational.
Freshman Savannah Matthews led the offense with 12 kills and a .379 hitting percentage. Matthews added 10 digs for her fourth career double-double. Freshman Morgan Copley scored a team-high 14 points for Kent State, totaling 11 kills and a career-high six blocks.
Setters Natalie Tagala (21 assists, 18 digs) and Alex Haffner (15 assists, 12 digs) both registered a double-double.
Sophomore Erin Gardner led the floor defense with 22 digs, while senior Myla King had seven rejections at the net.
Miami 1, Oakland 3
Box Score
The Miami University volleyball team rolled to a set one victory, but Oakland was able to squeak by in the next two sets as the RedHawks ultimately fell 1-3 (25-15, 23-25, 23-25, 18-25) on Saturday. Miami is now 4-4 on the season, while the Golden Grizzlies are 5-4.
The loss spoiled a spectacular performance from junior right side hitter Sarah Wojick. She finished with 12 kills and did not make a single attack error in 26 attempts. She finished with a .462 hitting percentage and also contributed three blocks and two digs.
Sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper led the RedHawks with 14 kills and made it her second straight double-double with 12 digs.
"After the first set Oakland caught fire playing scrappy defense and gave us an offensive clinic," said head coach Carolyn Condit. "We needed to serve better to take back control of the match, and our setters need to do a consistently better job for our hitters."
Trailing 4-5 in set one, Harper had two kills and a service ace, while junior middle hitter Avarie Powell had a kill and a block as part of a 7-1 run that gave Miami an 11-6 lead. The Grizzlies closed to within three at 9-12, but sophomore right side hitter Sophie Riemersma kept the Red and White in front with three kills. Leading 17-13, Miami closed on an 8-2 run to take a decisive 25-15 victory.
Set two stayed tight throughout. Oakland built an early 8-5 advantage, but the RedHawks quickly tied the score at 10. The teams traded side outs until it was tied at 12. At that point the Golden Grizzlies scored three in a row to take a 15-12 advantage and force a Miami timeout. Out of the break a kill from senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault off an assist from sophomore setter Louise Comerford got the 'Hawks the side out, but that proved to be the pattern the rest of the way. The teams continued to trade points until Oakland finally scored two in a row to push the advantage to 23-19. Daignault and Riemersma put down kills, while Daignault and senior middle hitter Margaret Payne teamed up for a block as part of a 3-0 run that cut the deficit to one at 23-22. The comeback was not to be as the side outs resumed, allowing the Grizzlies to earn a 25-23 win.
Oakland took an 8-4 lead to begin set three. Miami fought back as Daignault put down three kills, and Wojick had a service ace to help it tie the score at 10. Tied at 16, the Golden Grizzlies scored two in a row to take control. After a bunch of side outs, a kill and a service ace by Wojick, followed by an Oakland attack error gave the RedHawks a 23-22 advantage and forced a Grizzly timeout. The break proved to be huge for OU as it scored three in a row to steal a 25-23 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Grizzlies used that momentum to start on a 7-3 run to begin set four. Again the teams would trade points until a kill from Wojick cut the deficit to two at 13-15. Oakland answered with a 5-2 run to take control at 20-15. Payne put down a kill off an assist from junior setter Morgan Seaman, but a 5-2 closing stretch gave the Golden Grizzlies a 25-18 victory to clinch the match.
Daignault just missed a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs for Miami. Riemersma and Payne had seven kills each. Comerford recorded a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs, while junior libero Abigail Huser had a team-high 20 digs.
NIU 0, Delaware 3
Box Score
The Northern Illinois University volleyball team was swept Saturday 3-0 (11-25, 13-25, 19-25) by the Delaware Blue Hens in its final match at the Cardinal Classic hosted by Incarnate Word.
"We had a lot of good points, but we just couldn't string them together," said head coach Ray Gooden. "Those stretches were the difference in the match."
Freshman Peyton Tilly (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) led the Huskies with seven kills as Brinley Milbrath(Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) added five. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had 18 assists and a team-high six digs. Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) had four digs, eclipsing 1,000 digs for her career.
"It's nice for Miranda to reach that milestone," Gooden said. "She's put in the work to reach that mark."
NIU (3-8) fell behind early in the first set but managed to get within two points of the Blue Hens at 8-6 on a Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) kill and a Delaware error. Delaware took advantage of a Huskies error and three Bailey Pearlman aces to go on a 7-0 run and take a 15-6 lead. The Blue Hens hit .350 in the opening set and held NIU to a -.042 mark in winning it 25-11 to go up 1-0.
Delaware (8-1) took an 8-4 lead early in the second set on two Ayala Plummer kills and aces by Lani Mason and Andie Hanus. The Huskies got a kill from Balensiefer to get within three before a Pearlman kill started 4-1 Blue Hens run put Delaware ahead 12-6. Delaware stretched its lead to 10 at 20-10 on a kill by Ezgi Basaranlar. The Blue Hens took the set 25-13 on a Mason kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third, Delaware won 10 of the first 14 points. NIU chipped away at the Blue Hens' lead, closing to within two points at 11-9 when a block by Milbrath and Angie Gromos (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago) capped a 4-0 run. The Blue Hens pulled away with an 8-2 run sparked by a block by Mason and Adelina Rivera to take a 20-12 lead. NIU got as close as five points when a Balensiefer ace made the score 23-18, but Delaware took the set 25-19 and the match 3-0.
Ohio 3, Virginia 0
Box Score
The Ohio volleyball team (6-4) won the Bobcat Invitational presented by Texas Roadhouse after sweeping Virginia (5-5), 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-22), on Saturday afternoon inside The Convocation Center.
"We held two opponents under .100 (attacking percentage) and a power five team under .130 this weekend," head coach Deane Webb said. "That's a pretty impressive achievement by our team. Give credit to the work they put in. You can come up with all the plans you want, but your team can either execute or not. Not only did they execute, they went out late in sets and flipped the switch."
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) was named the tournament MVP, while junior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) and junior libero Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.) were named Bobcat Invitational All-Tournament. Giacomazzi led Ohio with a double-double after 25 assists and 10 digs. Giacomazzi added four kills and two blocks on the day while hitting .375. In her second match back, Jimerson stayed hot and hit .600 after posting nine terminations on 15 swings without commiting an error. Jimerson had a season-high seven blocks (two solo, five assisted). Reihing had a team-high 12 digs today in the sweep.
"It's unexpected," Giacomazzi said, on winning the MVP. "I always try to put every player on the court in the best spot for defense, serve receive and hitting. Deane (Webb) is always pushing myself to be my best and so is the team. Today's match was a continuation of the work I've been doing."
After Reihing's 12 digs, senior defensive specialist Meredith Howe (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and junior opposite Maggie Nedoma (Brook Park, Ohio) each had 11 scoops. Ohio had 54 digs while UVA had 56.
"We've been working on defense a lot this week in practice," Howe said. "Our block did a really good job of being in the right places. They had great block hands. That was the start and the finish of defense."
Jimerson's nine kills led the way while senior Lizzie Stephens (Dallas, Texas) and Nedoma each posted eight terminations. Freshman Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) and Giacomazzi each had four, while redshirt sophomore Dahlias Bouyer had three. Ohio had 36 total kills and hit .171 while UVA had 40 terminations and hit .128.
Ohio had nine total blocks as a team and outblocked UVA, 9-7. After Jimerson's seven, Stephens had four
(one solo, three assisted, Giacomazzi had two (one solo, one assisted) and Margolies had one.
Toledo 3, Indiana State 0 // Box Score
Toledo 0, Wright State 3 // Box Score
Recap to follow...
Western Michigan 0, Milwaukee 3
Box Score
On Saturday afternoon the Western Michigan volleyball team dropped its first match of the 2019 season to host school Milwaukee in three sets (18-25, 9-25, 15-25) at the Panther Invitational.
Despite the loss on Saturday, the Broncos match their best start since 1996 with an overall record of 8-1. WMU finishes as the runner-up at the Panther Invitational with freshman Maggie King and senior Willow Martin earning All-Tournament team honors.
Against the Panthers, King led the Brown & Gold with eight kills to go along with six digs. Sophomore Meredith Phillipsand Martin ranked second on the team with seven kills each with Martin recording a staggering .462 attack percentage.
Freshman Rose Duffy nearly posted a double-double with 12 assists and seven digs while her setting counterpart junior Mary Marzo led the team with 14 assists along with five digs. Senior Kathleen Reilly led the team with 10 digs and is now just 70 digs away from surpassing the 2,000 mark for her career.
As a team the Broncos recorded a .162 attack percentage and had just one service ace against the Panthers. Milwaukee posted a .394 attack percentage on the afternoon and had one block and five service aces.
WMU returns home next weekend for its final non-conference tournament, hosting IUPUI, Auburn and Michigan State for the Delta Hotel by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center Tournament, Sept. 20-21.
In the first set the Broncos and Panthers went back and forth through the first 16 points en route to an 8-8 tie. Milwaukee broke the tie and gained the lead thanks in large part to a
4-0 run. Midway through the set, WMU went on a run of its own, scoring four straight points to cut its deficit down to two. However, down the stretch the Panthers pulled away embarking on a 5-0 run to win the first set, 25-18.
It was a tough second set for the Broncos who hit just .194 as a team, falling to Milwaukee in set two, 25-9. With just nine points in the set, it's the first time this season the Broncos have been held to single digits in a set.
In the third and final set Milwaukee got off to a fast start and enjoyed a 10-5 lead before the Broncos battled back and cut the lead down to 12-8 after a Panther attacking error.
Milwaukee extended its lead midway through the set and jumped out to a nine-point lead with a 3-1 run late to secure the victory.
