Broncos struggle, lose again in four games at #15 Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Western Michigan and #15 Tennessee battled it out for the second time in a row, with the Lady Vols finally emerging victorious in four rounds on Friday afternoon (25-20, 25-11, 22-25, 25-19).

FINAL RESULT: #15 Tennessee 3, Western Michigan 1
LOCATION: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tennessee)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (4-7) | #15 Tennessee (7-3)

Logan case dished out 38 assists and distributed the ball, with five Broncos recording seven or more kills on the afternoon. Keona Seller managed 11 double-digit kill performances in 11 games at the start of the season and had the most kills on her team with 10 kills. Mary Clare Brusek, Julia Marr And Madison Merz scored eight kills each and Anna Calcagno posted seven.

Real newbie Carley Piercefield recorded double-digit digs for the second day in a row and tied her team's highest score with 12. Reeghan Boyer And Andelyn Simkins were directly behind with 11 each.

Western Michigan led 8-6 in the opening set until Tennessee went on a 6-2 run to pull ahead 12-10. After the Broncos tied the game at 15-15, the Lady Vols responded with four of the next five wins to take a 19-16 lead. WMU narrowed the deficit to 19-18, but again the hosts had an answer, winning six of the last eight to close out the first set.

Tennessee continued the momentum in the second period, building a 14-5 lead with a 9-1 run. UT's lead eventually grew to 21-7 before Brown and Gold scored three straight goals to extend the gap to 21-10. WMU didn't get any closer in the period, as the hosts secured a 2-0 lead.

Western Michigan started the third set strong, scoring six of the first seven points. After UT narrowed the gap to 7-5, the Broncos went on a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 14-7. The Lady Vols countered with the next four to get back within three points, 14-11. At 19-15, Tennessee went on a 5-2 run to narrow the gap to 21-20. With the gap one point apart at 22-21, WMU scored three of the final four points, with a Merz kill securing the frame for the Brown and Gold.

The two teams traded blows in the early stages of the fourth set and were tied at 14-14 until Tennessee scored four straight runs to take an 18-14 lead. Two kills from Brusek helped WMU get to 19-16, but another three straight runs pushed UT's lead to 22-16. From there, the Lady Vols kept the Broncos at bay, winning the contest by four runs for the second straight year.

Western Michigan returns home next weekend to begin Mid-American Conference play with a two-game series against Buffalo. Friday's series opener against the Bulls is Taylor Swift Night at University Arena, with first serve set for 6 p.m. Tickets for all WMU home volleyball games can be found at wmubroncos.com/tickets.