Nov. 7, 2009
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio - In one of the more dramatic volleyball games of the season, Miami came from behind to defeat Mid-American Conference Western Division leader Western Michigan 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 22-25, 29-27, 15-11) Friday night at Millett Hall. With their fifth consecutive victory, the RedHawks improve to 16-10 overall and 11-3 in the MAC. The Broncos fall to 19-10 overall and 11-3 in the MAC.
Kills from Michele Metzler, Maria Leahy and Hallie Hanks gave Miami a 3-0 lead in set one. A 10-7 run by WMU tied the set at 10. After a service error by the Broncos briefly gave the RedHawks the lead back, Western Michigan scored the next four points to take control of the set. With the score 24-20 in favor of WMU, a kill by Megan Griffin and a service ace by Lisa Treadway cut the deficit to 22-24, but an attack error by the RedHawks on the next point gave the Broncos a 25-22 win.
Leahy and Jenn Caylor put down Andrea Atteberry passes for kills to jump Miami to a 4-1 lead in set two. The set remained tight from there; however the RedHawks would not allow the Broncos to retake the lead. With the score 16-13, kills from Jenn Caylor, Griffin, Hanks and Leahy increased the Miami advantage to 23-18. A kill on the next point by Metzler created set point, and two points later the RedHawks earned a 25-20 victory on a Bronco service error.
Tied at eight in set three, WMU went on an 11-3 run to create a 19-11 advantage. Two kills from Amy Raseman and two blocks from Cassie Farrell started a 9-3 run by Miami that saw the RedHawks pull to within two at 20-22. With the score 24-21, Miami fought off one set point when Raseman recorded another kill, but Western Michigan won the next point to earn a 25-22 win.
Two kills apiece from Leahy and Griffin gave Miami an 8-3 lead in set four. The RedHawks continued to put on the pressure eventually increasing the lead to 18-9. A 10-5 run by the Broncos closed the score to 19-23, but a kill from Hanks off an Atteberry assist gave Miami set point. However, WMU got out of that predicament by scoring the next six points to take a 25-24 lead and create match point for itself. Miami fought it off and the teams traded points until the score was tied at 27. From there Leahy recorded a kill to give the RedHawks set point, and Atteberry recorded the next kill to give Miami a hard fought 29-27 victory.
The fifth and deciding set started in the Broncos' favor as WMU took an early 5-1 lead. A kill and a block by Caylor, followed by two consecutive service aces by Colleen Loftus tied the score at five. With the score tied at eight, kills from Leahy and Griffin and a Western Michigan attack error gave Miami an 11-8 advantage. A 3-1 run by the Broncos cut the score to 11-12, but a kill from Hanks and two blocks from Metzler closed out the 15-11 victory and the five-set win for the RedHawks.
Griffin was the Miami leader in kills for the match with 15. She also led in hitting percentage, hitting a stellar .542. Hanks had 13 kills, while Metzler recorded 12. Leahy had a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs, while Atteberry also had a double-double with 58 assists and 10 digs. Metzler recorded six blocks in the match, while Treadway led with 20 digs. The RedHawks hit .264 for the match, compared to WMU which hit .196.
The final weekend of MAC play is next week for Miami. The RedHawks will take on East Division leading Ohio on Friday at 7 p.m. in Millett Hall. Then on Senior Night, Miami will face Kent State Saturday at 5 p.m.
