Road Trip Opens in Athens and Kent
The Western Michigan University volleyball team heads into Ohio this weekend to kick off a three-match road trip, playing two matches across the state as conference play heats up, according to wmubroncos.com. The Brown and Gold hold a 6-6 record away from home this season.
Action begins Friday evening at 6 p.m. in Athens against Ohio, followed by a Saturday matchup at 4 p.m. against Kent State. Western Michigan enters the weekend holding a 38-27-1 advantage in the all-time series against Ohio. Last year, the two programs split a pair of four-set contests to wrap up the regular season in Athens.
Historical Edge Against the Golden Flashes
Against Kent State, WMU owns a 45-16 lead in the all-time series and has won eight straight meetings against the Golden Flashes. The team travels east after wrapping up a 3-1 homestand that featured a split against Buffalo in Kalamazoo.
Richmond and Weihe Drive Offense Against Buffalo
During the series against Buffalo, Leah Richmond helped the offense hit .295, leading the team with 68 assists and 36 digs to secure a pair of double-doubles. Gabby Weihe paced the attack with 22 kills on a .422 hitting percentage.
Milestones and National Rankings for the Setter
Richmond also eclipsed 2,000 assists for her collegiate career during Saturday’s match against Buffalo. The redshirt sophomore leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks 44th in NCAA Division I with an average of 10.17 assists per set. Behind her distribution, Western Michigan ranks 39th nationally with a .258 team hitting percentage and leads the conference with a .262 mark in league play.
A Balanced Attack Led by Patchett and Weihe
The offense relies on a balanced attack with six different Broncos recording double-digit kills at least once this season. Five players average more than 2.05 kills per set, led by Annalise Patchett at 3.19 kills per set. Patchett has bumped that average to 3.36 in MAC matches, ranking sixth in the conference. Gabby Weihe stands as the team’s most efficient hitter, ranking third in the league and 37th nationally with a .393 hitting percentage.
Double-Double Consistency Across the Roster
Double-doubles have remained a steady theme for the squad. Richmond set a single-season program record with 26 double-doubles last year and leads the team with 11 this season. Patchett has notched seven, Izzy Swiercz has four, and Carley Piercefield has one.
