AKRON, Ohio – The Western Michigan volleyball team picked up its fifth straight victory on Friday night with a four-set win over Akron (25-22, 16-25, 25-20, 25-22) inside James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Broncos had three players against Akron register double digit kills with two players recording double-doubles against the Zips. As a team WMU hit .192 with six service aces, 57 assists, 83 digs and four blocks.
Leading the way for WMU was senior outside hitter Rachel Bontrager with her fifth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 16 digs. Bontrager's 16 digs is a season-high while the Valparaiso, Ind., native also had one block, one service ace and hit .178.
With 16 kills on Friday night Bontrager is now just two kills away from becoming the third player in school history to eclipse 1,500 career kills. Bontrager is also just 37 digs away from 1,000 career digs and becoming the only player in school history with 1,500 career kills and 1,000 digs.
Earning her third double-double of the season was freshman Logan Case with 50 assists to go along with 15 digs. Case's 50 assists mark the fifth match this season the freshman setter has eclipse more than 50 assists. The 15 digs for Case marked a new career-high.
Matching Bontrager in kills was sophomore Maggie King with 16. King recorded a .250 hitting percentage against the Zips to go along with two digs in the four-set win. Behind King was freshman Abi Wilcoxson with a career-high 12 kills and a .171 hitting percentage. Wilcoxson did it all for the Broncos with one assist, one service ace, three digs and two blocks.
Western Michigan had four players with double digit digs led by senior libero/defensive specialist Kaley Smith with 22. Smith earned double digit digs for the fifth straight match while her five assists matched a career-high.
With the win Western Michigan has now won five straight and improved its overall and Mid-American Conference record to 11-3. WMU is back in action on Saturday, March 13 at Akron. First serve is set for 5:00 p.m. inside James A. Rhodes Arena.
Set One (WMU – 25, Akron – 22)
Western Michigan jumped on the Zips early in the first set, using a 5-1 run to take a 11-7 lead. Akron rallied back midway through the set using a 5-0 run to tie the set at 12. The two teams went back and forth midway through before WMU embarked on a 4-0 run to gain a 20-15 advantage.
Two kills along with a block from Abi Wilcoxson extended the WMU lead to 24-19 prior to the Zips going on a 3-0 run to cut the WMU lead down to two. Trailing by two Akron served the ball into the net for the service error to give WMU a 1-0 lead in the match.
Set Two (WMU – 16, Akron – 25)
Akron gained control early in the second set as the Zips earned a 10-6 lead. The Broncos rallied back after back-to-back kills from Maggie King to cut the WMU deficit down to two. Midway through the second set Akron embarked on a 5-0 run to earn a 17-11 advantage.
After kills from Bontrager and King cut the Akron lead down to four, the Zips embarked on a 5-0 run down the stretch to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-16 set two victory.
Set Three (WMU – 25, Akron – 20)
The Broncos trailed by four early in the third set before the WMU offense came to live midway through. Western Michigan embarked on a 11-1 run highlighted by back-to-back-to-back service aces to give WMU a 16-12 lead.
Akron cut its deficit down to two late in the third after a kill followed by a service ace. However, down the stretch the Brown & Gold won four of the final five points including a Bontrager kill to end the set and give WMU a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set Four (WMU – 25, Akron – 22)
WMU scored four of the first five points in the fourth set and looked to cruise to victory before Akron rallied back with a 5-0 run to gain a 6-4 advantage. The two teams went back and forth before WMU rattled off six of the next seven points midway through the set to earn a 14-11 lead.
The Zips rallied back once again and cut the Bronco lead down to after a kill before WMU extended its lead back to three thanks to an Akron attack error and a WMU service ace. Western Michigan extended its lead late with a 3-0 run highlighted by kills from Wilcoxson and King. To end the match King got the final kill to give WMU its fifth straight victory.
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March 13, 2021 at 09:32AM
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WMU Picks Up Win in Four Sets Over Akron - WMUBroncos.com
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