Broncos begin new home winning streak

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

KALAMAZOO — Senior Martelle McLemore posted career highs of 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead Western Michigan men’s basketball past VCU, 83-67, in front of 2,654 at University Arena Wednesday night.

The Broncos (1-1) also received career-high-tying 13 points and 11 rebounds from senior center Donald Lawson for his first career double-double. He also blocked three shots. Senior David Kool hit 11-of-12 free throws to add 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, while freshman Nate Hutcheson tied his career high with nine points and pulled down a career-high six rebounds.

The Rams, ranked No. 8 in this week’s Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, led by as many as 17 points, 28-11, with 9:40 left in the first half after an offensive rebound and putback, but the Broncos slowly started the climb back with an immediate 10-0 run over 2:54 to pull within seven, 28-21, with 6:16 to go in the half after a pair of fast-break layups by McLemore and a three-pointer by Hutcheson.

VCU, the defending champions of the Colonial Athletic Association, recovered and went back up 13, 40-27, after a three-pointer with 1:50 to go in the half. The Broncos came back with six quick points, capped by a fast-break layup from freshman David Brown, to pull within seven, 40-33, with 46 seconds left in the half and McLemore’s jumper in the paint with 19 seconds to go kept WMU within seven, 42-35, at halftime.

The Broncos shot 10-of-30 in the first half, but hung around with 14-of-20 free throw shooting. The Rams had nine offensive rebounds to outscore WMU, 16-8, in second chance points and forced nine WMU turnovers.

VCU was still up seven, 48-41, with 17:40 to play when the Broncos took over for good. A layup by Flenard Whitfield started a 17-2 run over the next 6:32 to put the Broncos up by eight, 58-50, with 10:08 to play. McLemore had seven points during the run and sophomore Mike Douglas had four points and assisted on a Lawson fast-break dunk.

VCU hung around and cut the lead to five, 63-58, with 6:31 remaining after a dunk by T.J. Gwynn, but McLemore rebounded his own missed three and found Whitfield for a lay-up to start a 10-0 run by the Brown & Gold. Whitfield started the run and ended the game with a fast-break lay-up off a feed from sophomore Demetrius Ward, 73-58, with 2:12 to play.

The Broncos shot 17-of-28 in the second half, including 16-of-20 inside the arc with 15 of those baskets coming inside the paint. The Broncos also out-rebounded VCU, 29-12, in the second half and outscored the fast-paced Rams, 15-2, in second-chance points.

Overall, the Broncos shot 46.6 percent (27-58) and held VCU to .307 shooting (23-75). The Broncos also hit 27-of-35 free throws, compared to 15-of-19 freebies for VCU.

VCU was led by Bradford Burgess with 16 points, while Collegeinsider.com Preseason Mid-Major All-American Larry Sanders had seven points and seven rebounds.

WMU goes back on the road on Monday, Nov. 23 to play at Loyola (Ill.) (1-1) at 8 p.m. in Chicago.

Broncos overcome 17 pt. deficit to win going away

By Alan Gerould SW Michigan Sports Review

 I’ll admit that when the Broncos were suffering under the full court pressure of VCU and trailing 28-11 eight minutes into the game, I couldn’t help but think “here we go again”…But with tremendous resilience and patience the Broncos chipped away, caught up and most importantly built a lead to win going away over a team favored by 91/2 points. I can’t imagine how good the Broncos may have been had they made 40 percent of its ‘3’s” (2-15) add 12 points.

Mikey Douglas was smooth at the point, keeping the Broncos in a good flow, making good decisions on when to run and when to pull it back out and run the offense. Nate Hutcheson was incredible off the bench. Rarely do you see a freshman with so much poise in his first home game. He is a heady player with all the tools who seemlessly blended into the rotation.

“D Law” and “Tel” McLemore played perhaps their finest games as Broncos… This will be key to WMU’s success the rest of the way…they must have strong play out of the post and from the “3″ (small forward)  D Ward, D Brown and Shayne Whittington each played strong minutes in relief at those positions.

Flenard Whitfield is poised to have another great season on the heels of his MAC All-freshman team start and as for David Kool….He is well Kool, as in his shooting from the floor mostly in the first half (1-6 as I recall) yet he gets to the basket when he wants and usually draws a foul and there is no one better at the foul line. Further, he is the unquestioned leader of this team and you never see him get too high or too low, just Cool…   Can’t wait to see how they do on the road with all of this confidence in Chicago.

Brandon West breaks NCAA Record(s)

Courtesy: Mat Kanan, director of athletic media relations           Release: 11/17/2009

Courtesy: GS Photo http://gsphoto.photostockplus.com/ KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Sporting News highlighted Brandon West in the Nov. 17 edition of the Sporting News Today after breaking NCAA Division I FBS records in back-to-back weeks. The Sporting News’ David Curtis spoke with West on Monday afternoon about the records, what they mean to him now and what they will mean to him down the road.  He also asked about making the decision to play at Western Michigan and what he thinks the future holds for him. West on what the records mean to him “The best part is that when you see Brandon West [associated] with that record, you see Western Michigan, too.  It’s a team record.” Read the Brandon West article in Sporting News Today West was named Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts against Eastern Michigan.  It is the third time he has earned the award in the last four weeks and is the fourth weekly nod from the conference this season for the Brunswick, Ga., native.

Broncos blast Eagles 35-14

Courtesy Mat Kanan, WMU Media Relations

YSPILANTI, Mich. - On an emotional for everyone associated with Western Michigan football, the Broncos defeated Eastern Michigan, 35-14 at Rynearson Stadium.  Brandon West broke the NCAA Division I FBS record for career all-purpose yards and now holds the mark at 7,626 for his career.

West set many a milestone on Saturday.  Not only did he break DeAngelo Williams’ (Memphis) career all-purpose mark, but he also became only the third Bronco to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and the first since Robert Sanford in 1999 and 2000.  Jerome Persell remains the only WMU ball carrier to accomplish the feat three times in succession.

The senior from Brunswick, Ga., also became only the fourth back in Bronco history to carry the ball over 700 times in his career, now with 711 rushing attempts.  He finished the day with 140 yards on 25 carries to go over the century mark on the ground for the fourth time in 2009.

The Western Michigan offense did most of its damage between the 7:40 mark of the first quarter and the 1:09 mark of the second, scoring 28-straight points after giving up an opening score to the Eagles.  Three of the four scores went to a tight end as Tim Hiller threw for four TDs in a game for the ninth time in his career, connecting with Matt Stevens twice and Chad Baliko once, the senior’s first career TD catch.

After EMU’s Alex Gillett scored from four yards out in the first quarter, Hiller and company marched 59 yards in 11 plays, converting on a fourth-and-3 at the Eagles’ 16-yard line to keep the drive moving.  Hiller found Stevens from three yards out to even the score.

Three of Eastern Michigan’s next four drives ended in a turnover as WMU forced a season best six turnovers on three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.  The two picks of the first half, both courtesy of Jamail Berry, resulted in a one-yard West run and an eight-yard TD pass from Hiller to Stevens, the second of the day capping a 68-yard, 10-play drive.

Both offenses took a step back in the second half as the Broncos were forced to punt on three of their four possessions, including the first three, while the Eagles punted four times, lost two fumbles and threw a third pick, this time to Damond Smith with 13 seconds in regulation.

Whenever Eastern Michigan put the ball on the ground, Drew Nowak was not too far behind, recovering a pair of fumbles and forcing another.  He did both on one play alone.  Berry also recovered a fumble to account for three Bronco take aways.  Austin Pritchard made a season-high 14 tackles to give him a career 92 on the season.

Hiller threw for 275 yards on 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) and four TDs.  He has now thrown at least one TD to 20 different receivers and has 98 for his career, two shy of tying and three shy of surpassing Marshall’s Chad Pennington for the Mid-American Conference career record.

His fourth and final scoring strike came on a ball that Robert Arnheim went up top to get over the defender.  The sophomore escaped from initial contact and raced 65 yards to the end zone.  He finished with 87 yards receiving.  Jordan White led all receivers with a career high 140 yards on a career best 10 catches.  He is only the second receiver with 10 or more catches in a game this season.

Western Michigan will look to finish the season 6-6 and 5-3 in the MAC when the Broncos face Ball State on Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. in Waldo Stadium on ESPN2.  WMU Athletics is offering a plethora of promotions for the game directed at Western Michigan students and the Kalamazoo community.  Go to www.wmubroncos.com for all of the details.

Broncos 2-0 in Exhibition Season

Courtesy of Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

KALAMAZOO – Senior David Kool scored 18 points and sophomore Flenard Whitfield added 14 points to lead Western Michigan men’s basketball past NAIA Spring Arbor, 81-51, in front of 2,644 at University Arena in an exhibition on Wednesday night.

The Broncos shot 54.5 percent (30-55) from the field and outscored the Cougars, 32-12, in the paint, and on the fast break, 15-0, to win their second exhibition game in preparation for Sunday’s season opener at Detroit. The Broncos’ defense held the Cougars to 33.3 percent (17-51) and forced 15 turnovers to outscore SAU, 17-9, in points off turnovers.

The Broncos broke the game open at the beginning of the second half as Kool scored seven points in a row off a putback, three-pointer and pull-up baseline jumper, 42-27, in the first two minutes. Spring Arbor pulled within 12 points, but the Broncos pushed the lead back out after Donald Lawson hit a free throw and then scored on a putback to keep WMU up 15, 49-34, with 13:56 left in the game. Lawson finished the contest with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Alex Wolf took over from there as he scored more points in 2:41, eight, than he scored in his first two seasons after joining the team as a walk-on. Wolf hit a three-pointer to put WMU up 19, 57-38, and kept it up 19, 60-41, after converting an old-fashioned three-point play on a drive down the lane. Moments later he stole the ball and went coast-to-coast to put the Broncos up 23, 67-44, with 7:01 remaining.

The Broncos were on cruise control from there and went up by as many as 35 points, 81-46, in the final minutes after walk-on Ed Thomas stole the ball and went the length of the court for a near dunk before the ball slipped out of his hands, but still fell through.

The Broncos opened the game with the first five points after Mike Douglas pulled down a defensive rebound and raced coast-to-coast for a layup. Whitfield followed on the next possession with an offensive rebound, putback and free throw after the foul. The Cougars pulled within two, but then David Brown canned a three and Kool hit a baseline pull-up jumper to put WMU up seven, 14-7, with 13:57 to play.

Spring Arbor stayed close and cut the lead to three when Whitfield knocked down a pair of mid-range jumpers and Kool canned a long fast break jumper from the right wing to give WMU its largest lead, 24-14, and force an SAU timeout with 7:12 to play. The Broncos kept the lead at 10, 29-19, after Kool hit a three-pointer from the left wing after a steal by Martelle McLemore with 4:53 on the clock. After a three by the Cougars, Nate Hutcheson scored his first two baskets of the exhibition season on a pair of acrobatic layups to put WMU up 11, 35-24, but SAU hit a three-pointer to stay within eight points, 35-27, at halftime.

Freshmen Hutcheson and Brown both added nine points, while Hutcheson added five rebounds. Freshman Shayne Whittington pulled down six rebounds, while Douglas had a team-high four assists and two steals along with McLemore and Thomas.

Spring Arbor was led by Jake Wild with 12 points on 4-of-4 three-point shooting.

Western Michigan opens the 2009-10 season on the road at Detroit on Sunday at 3 p.m

Weekly Bronco Football Press Luncheon

Courtesy WMU Media Relations

Coach Cubit On the MSU game and this weeks game at Eastern “The MSU game, again, we have to go in and watch the tape. I was surprised, but we had some guys win battles out there, which was a good thing. We had some guys that just didn’t pull it off, and I thought that was a key thing there. Defensively we had some stops, and some pushes, but they didn’t interrupt the pass. Second half I thought our kids did some nice things, unfortunately we only scored 14 points. We’re still learning, and kids, there are times they struggle, and for a QB it’s frustrating. We didn’t make any big plays. Eastern, they’re kind of a scary group, and at times they play really well on defense. I haven’t seen their offense much, but defensively that have some speed. They have a four-year starter, and the biggest thing for us right now is we’re starting to run out of people at wide out. Were down to three, and hopefully we’ll get Dallas Walker back, but he’s got a hand problem. We have to find a way to make it work, the kids are good, and working hard, and we’ll keep on plugging along.” On changes “I think we tried to do what we do best, sometimes when you change it doesn’t really work well. The good thing is we have all those sets, and that always been part of our repertoire.” On Eastern Michigan “I think the influence is a big rival game, and it’s important for those guys on the other side. When you get to this time in the year, Eastern wants to finish their season really strong. They have talented players, guys with speed, and some transfers. When they rally around, they are going to be a really good football team, and they always rally around Western Michigan.” On thoughts about bowl games “We really don’t talk that much about bowl games. There are a few other bowl games out there, but we don’t talk about that that much. I’m more worried about preparing for this game.  I think our kids understand, a lot of our young kids, you have to track damage, you’re sore, and you have to keep on plugging along.  The day is really condensed and full for the kids. My challenge this week was to do everything right and more, and see if my way works, and sometimes guys get caught up, they have papers to do and there are time constraints. We have a lot of young kids, who played really well, freshmen.  I’m really happy with some of the showcases. We had some mistakes over on defense, and the linemen are killing us, of course with penalties. There’s nothing like experience, the more games we play, the better we’ll be.” On starting younger players “I’m not a real big believer in saying I’m going to look to next year to play younger guys. If they’re the best guys, that’s the way it is. I don’t subscribe to that, I don’t think its right, I think the best guys play, and if you’re the best guy you should be out there. We had 12 seniors starting at one point, and if their the best that’s who should start.” On breaking records “I think Tim’s touchdown passes, sometimes when you try to manufacture things it doesn’t work. Brandon West is the exact same way.  You just need to take pride in what you’re doing out there. I don’t pay attention to it, I didn’t even realize he broke the kickoff record, I knew it was coming up but I read somewhere where it said he has a chance to be the new all purpose yards guy,” On preparing for games “We’ve had so many young kids playing and trying to figure out what they need to do to get better. It’s teaching them how to get ready and prepare, sometimes we let the game come to us instead of us taking it to the game. We had to show up this year, and we need to settle in and play better early. When you play better early, you visualize the game better. Watch Tim Hiller, he knows that’s how you prepare, but it took him a while too.”   Senior Quarterback Tim Hiller On the Eastern Michigan game “Every team always plays well at home, they take pride defending their turf, and it’s their last home game, it’s going to be a tough challenge. Obviously in 2007 we experienced a game that didn’t go our way there.” On the rivalry with Eastern “I think it’s definitely something that’s stuck in the back of all of our minds, I know it does with me. It resonates in your mind when you go to an environment like that. We know this is the game they circle on their calendar and say, ‘this is the game we want to go out and get.’ It’s a huge rivalry, maybe not to the extent of the Central Michigan game, but it’s big and they’re going to be fired up.” On being a leader “I’m a firm believer in my faith, and I think God puts us in certain positions for a reason. It’s my job to encourage my guys as a leader. Are we playing great at every position? No, but I think we’re making strides with a young team, and if you focus on everything you’re doing wrong you’ll never get better.” On Eastern Michigan’s play at home “I mean, as a veteran understanding the way they play at home, I’m expecting them to play really well. They’ve had a tough go this year, but the thing that stands out when you watch them on film is how fired up they are. I fully expect them to put forth their best effort. Running game wise they’ve given up a lot of yards, but they have a Michigan transfer at corner, and they’re pretty good in the back end, so we’re going to have to play pretty well.” On losing “I think one thing about losing, is that it exposes you in some ways. When you’re winning, you can sweep some of the dirt under the rug, but when your losing there’s no rug to sweep it under. In some ways that’s a good thing because they get corrected, and for us, we have to maintain a positive attitude. We can’t allow losing to become something that is accepted. We cannot be complacent and accept this as the way it’s going to be. For me, it’s trying to be a constant encourager, we have to keep going and keep pushing, even if you don’t feel like it some days, we just have to keep working.”

Broncos beat “K” in exhibition opener

KALAMAZOO — Senior Martelle McLemore scored 18 points to lead Western Michigan past Kalamazoo College, 78-52, in an exhibition game in front of 2,097 at Universty Arena Saturday afternoon. McLemore added six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while sophomore Flenard Whitfield added 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Freshman guard David Brown finished with 13 points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist and senior center Donald Lawson added 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks. The Hornets were still within five points, 52-47, with 9:40 remaining in the contest when the Broncos started to pull away. McLemore hit a three-pointer on a nice feed from David Kool and then Lawson blocked a shot on the other end and raced downcourt to convert the fast-break layup from Mike Douglas. Whitfield pushed the lead to 12, 59-47, after converting two free throws off an offensive rebound with 8:14 to play and the Hornets never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way. The Broncos eventually advanced the lead to 26 points in the final moments, 77-51 with 1:05 to play, after walk-on freshman center Nick Stapert hit a jumper assisted by walk-on and former manager Ed Thomas. A three-pointer by McLemore assisted by junior Alex Wolf and an offensive rebound and putback by sophomore Muhammed Conteh put WMU on top by seven, 11-4, less than six minutes into the game. The Broncos continued to play well and went up by 11, 17-6, with 11:50 to go in the half after six consecutive points by Brown in 1:06. The Broncos eventually pushed their lead to 13 points, 28-15, after Douglas found Kool for a three-pointer with 7:54 to play, but Kalamazoo made a late run and cut the lead to four, 31-27, with 2:01 to play after Ryan Clark’s fifth three-pointer of the half. Lawson scored in the paint on the next possession off a dish from Kool and then hit two free throws with 27 seconds to play to put the Broncos back up by eight, 35-27, at halftime. The Broncos started fast out of the halftime locker room and forced three turnovers in the first minute of the second half to go back up by 11, 38-27, after a fast-break layup by Douglas and Kool free throw. K-College quickly cut the lead back to six, 38-32, but WMU answered with a 10-0 run behind five points from Whitfield to go up by 16, 48-32, with 16:37 to play. The Hornets made one last effort and whittled the lead back to five points over the next seven minutes until the Broncos made their final push to blow the game open. Kool added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Douglas finished with a game-high six assists. The Hornets were led by Clark with 19 points, but he scored only four in the second half. Joe Prepolec added 10 points for the Hornets. The Broncos shot 42.4 percent from the field, including 48.4 percent in the second half. The Broncos outscored the Hornets 40-12 in the paint and 23-12 in second-chance points. The Broncos also forced 25 turnovers with 12 steals to lead K-College 32-11 in points off turnovers and 15-2 in fast-break points. The Broncos play their final exhibition game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Spring Arbor. Tickets are just $5.

Weekly Press Luncheon with Bill Cubit

Courtesy Mat Kanan, WMU Media Relations

Coach Cubit

 On the game at Kent State

“I thought their freshmen did a great job, but we didn’t play real well on defense.  Their QB went out there and threw for 373, which is really disappointing, offensively we had our shots but we didn’t get things done. We dropped some balls, and the end of the third quarter was key I thought.  We got a holding penalty and then a bad punt, but still at that time I thought we were in good shape, it was disappointing and we have to finish up strong here. The MSU game is going to be real physical, we have to be strong, come downhill on defense, make some plays, and hopefully we don’t give up big plays on offense. They’re big up front, they’re physical, and they have the best line backer in the league according to the experts. It’ll be a real tough battle, we’ll go out there, and we have to go play.”

On the Michigan State game and young players

“We had our own issues.  We have so many young guys, we fill like Tim Hiller is outstanding but he can’t do it by themselves. The young kids don’t see it as their role, or don’t want to, and this is what happens. I think Justin Braksa is doing a great job, but the young guys with no experience; they don’t have the team concept that you would have if you had a bunch of older guys. We’re trying to take care of ourselves right now, but I think our kids will be excited to play at Michigan State.  We’ll have a great crowd, and on the other side they have a lot to play for.  It’s an interesting game this year, but it’s like Iowa a couple years ago, they need that game to get the bowl.”

On the physicality of the game

“MSU is the most physical team I’ve seen. They are really coached well. I think Mark [Dantonio] is an outstanding football coach. I think the big thing anymore is the staff, everybody’s tired, and this is a long season, but you have to keep going. You’re going to lose some guys, but we played without a few of them.  We don’t have Jordan [White], we don’t have Juan [Nunez], and that’s what happens in the season. I don’t know how many injuries they have, but it’s a physical game. I’m sure they have guys banged up.  You just have to keep sucking it up, and when you don’t have a bi-week, like this year, that’s especially hard.”

On playing at Michigan State

“I think what happens, I think the venue when you get there, it excites you because you’re playing in front of a big crowd. I think our confidence factor is good, they think they can win.  I think they understand that.”

On MSU’s offense

“I think watching defensively, it’s really similar to our spring practice.  Offensively, they tell you what to do too, they are going to run the ball and be physical, and I don’t think they changed that much, it’s not they’re style.  What you take is what you’re going to get, especially with teams like this.”

On confidence levels

“They’re still pretty confident, I’d be pretty confident if I was on the other side.  Players, they don’t see that. They’re going to practice hard this week, try and fix they’re problems, because that’s what teams do, and I’m sure that is what Mark is going on his end.”

On experience

“Experience, that’s all it is, you can watch NBA rookies, they go in there, and it’s the same thing. NFL guys, it’s all so loose, it’s wear and tear, and it’s all experience, that’s why you don’t like to play kids. The pressures of the classroom and socially, usually you get a bi week so you can give them some time off, but it’s hard.  Coaching is the same way, anywhere between 12-17 hours a day. We haven’t had a day off since August 1^st. You just keep going and it takes its toll.”

On injuries

“Austin Pritchard should be back. He was cleared but he hadn’t practiced all week. If he hasn’t practiced all week he probably won’t be too good Saturday.  Juan I don’t expect back at all. He tried and it lasted about two plays.”

On confidence levels of younger players

“They’re all 19-20 year old kids. If you lose one at the end, you lost one or two plays.  The psyche, are we that bad, and they try to fix everything. Usually when you lose those type games, there are a whole bunch of plays that could have made the difference, not just one.  Our biggest problem is youth and experience. We just have a bunch of young kids. We had this talk the other night, if you took Tim out of the equation, who are those guys? I think it’s just the way people are brought up anymore.  You know, we had 3 or 4 channels on TV, and then we went and played outside.  Some guys say, ‘Coach, I’m afraid to lead, I don’t want to make mistakes.’ Well Brett Favre threw a lot of interceptions but he’s still a leader. You have to play hard all the time, but you’re going to make mistakes. It’s really hard because of the way dynamics in society are right now.  Your quarterback was your pointer, now we specialize so much in sports, back then you knew who your stars were, but your quarterback, your catcher and your pitcher.”

On finding the right players

“We can’t take high risk kids at Western Michigan, we just can’t do it. I see some guys out there, but it doesn’t work now. You have to keep the APR up. You need a GPA, you have to find that exact mix. A guy like Hiller, we’ve been very fortunate, but there has to be other guys in other positions, and that’s the constant search trying to find those guys.”

Bronco Volleyball continues roll through MAC

Courtesy, Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

KALAMAZOO — Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Turnage set career highs with 12 kills, .647 attack percentage and eight blocks to lead Western Michigan volleyball past Toledo, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-21), on Saturday night at University Arena.

“This weekend was a very good opportunity for Ashley to improve her blocking, which was already a strength,” head coach Colleen Munson said. “Her offense also really came together this weekend. She’s been doing a great job of making herself an option and tonight the connection between her and Jill (Mitchell) was on point.”

The Broncos (18-9, 10-2 MAC) improved to 10-1 at home this season and 22-0 all-time in Kalamazoo against the Rockets (14-10, 5-7 MAC) with the victory that keeps WMU atop the Mid-American Conference West.

“This was a good weekend to see two teams with distinctly different styles and strengths,” Munson said. “What impressed me was our ability to dictate tempo with our strengths and take away the strengths of our opponents. Normally, we feel out the opponent and wait to counter. This weekend, we didn’t wait. We took control early and made the other team adjust to us.”

Senior Michelle Moore added 11 kills, 12 digs and three blocks, while junior Allyson Doyle hit .381 with nine kills, nine digs and five blocks. Senior setter Jillian Mitchell dished 38 assists with seven digs and two kills. Mitchell moved into fifth all-time in career digs at WMU with 1,147, passing Liz Gunn.

Senior libero Caitlin Strimel led all players with 18 digs to lead the defense. Senior Katie Eberling added nine digs and five kills, while freshman Jessica Brown contributed six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Sam Viox led all players with two aces as a serving specialist.

The Rockets tied the score at one in the first set, but were never that close again as a kill by Brown, Doyle ace and Eberling kill put WMU up, 4-1. Toledo scored two in a row, but WMU went on a 5-1 run to build the lead to five, 9-4, and force a timeout. The Rockets cut the lead to two, 11-9, but a Doyle kill and Viox ace gave WMU breathing room again. The Broncos kept in control and went up seven, 19-12, after a Mitchell kill and Turnage solo block. Turnage finished the set with a kill, 25-16, on the Broncos’ second set point.

WMU hit .217 with 14 kills, four by Brown, while holding Toledo to .042 hitting with 11 kills. Turnage had four blocks, two solo, in the opening set.

The Broncos appeared to break the set open after a 3-0 run on a Turnage kill, Mitchell ace and Turnage/Doyle block broke open a tied set, 13-10. The Rockets came back to tie the score, 15-15, but WMU answered with kills by Turnage and Eberling. Toledo came back again to tie the score at 18 and 19, but back-to-back kills by Moore forced another Toledo timeout, 21-19. The Rockets never tied the score again and Turnage ended the second set with another kill, 25-22.

Offense was featured in set two with WMU hitting .425 with 20 kills, while the Rockets hit .325 with 16 kills. Moore had seven kills in 12 attempts, while Turnage tallied six kills in eight attempts.

The Broncos jumped out to a lead in the third set, 6-2, behind a pair of assisted blocks by Brown and kills by Doyle, Moore and Brown. The Rockets came back and took their first lead of the match, 8-7, but Moore evened the match and WMU regained the lead on an UT error. The Broncos remained up two, 13-11, after a Toledo service error and Viox ace, but Toledo came back to regain the lead, 15-14. Eberling scored with a kill to even the set, but Toledo scored again to stay on top, 16-15. UT missed the serve on the next point and Moore had a solo block to put WMU back on top, 17-16. Toledo tied the match again, but back-to-back Turnage kills put WMU up two, 19-17.

After a timeout, Toledo tied the score again. The Broncos kept delivering answers with a Turnage kill, UT error and Turnage/Doyle block to go up three, 22-19. Toledo didn’t have any more rallies and Doyle ended the set with a kill down the line.

WMU hit .121 with 11 kills and seven errors in the set, but held Toledo to .027 hitting with 12 kills and 11 errors.

Overall, WMU hit .261 with 45 kills, 14 errors, 57 digs, 12 blocks and four aces, while Toledo hit .128 with 39 kills, 23 errors, 52 digs, two blocks and no aces.

Toledo was led by Stephanie Kersting, Cassie Kleespies and Amber DeWeerdt with nine kills each, although DeWeerdt hit .000 and Kersting hit .138 from the outside. Katie Westerfeld led the Rockets with 16 digs, while Kassie Kadera passed out 33 assists.

The Broncos wrap up their five-match homestand next Thursday (Nov. 5) at 7 p.m. against Northern Illinois (13-12, 7-5 MAC) on Senior Night at University Arena.

BRonco Gridders fall 26-14 at Kent State

Courtesy, Mat Kanan WMU Media Relations  Despite forcing three turnovers, Western Michigan football could not overcome career days by Kent State’s quarterback and top receiver, falling to Kent State, 26-14.  The loss was the first against the Golden Flashes since 1988 and the first against a team from the Mid-American Conference East Division since Oct. 6, 2007. The seventh second-half comeback under head coach Bill Cubit fell short at Dix Stadium as Western Michigan managed 14 points against a Kent State defense that had four sacks to bring its league-leading total to 30.  The Broncos two touchdowns were the direct result of a pair of interceptions courtesy of WMU’s defense. On its second drive of the game, KSU advanced to the Broncos’ 13-yard line before Mitch Zajac corralled the first interception of his career after the pass deflected off the intended receiver.  Zajac’s 26-yard return set up Hiller and company on WMU’s 31-yard line. The Broncos moved the ball 69 yards in 11 plays for their 10th scoring drive of 10 or more plays.  Tim Hiller, who finished with 255 yards and two more passing TDs, found Ansel Ponder just inside the goal line for the 92nd passing TD of his career and the third for Ponder in the last two games.  The score against this KSU defense was the first in nine quarters as the Golden Flashes had not allowed an offensive score since the Bowling Green loss on Oct. 10. Hiller ended the first half with 119 yards and the scoring strike on 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) passing.  Trey Smith had matched his career high with four catches for 41 yards and Brandon West had 22 yards on the ground.  The total was good enough to propel him into third place on WMU’s career rushing list past Shawn Faulkner (1980-83).  Only Jerome Persell (4,190) and Robert Sanford (4,219) lie ahead of the Brunswick, Ga., native. Damond Smith registered his first career interception on a jumped route in the fourth quarter.  Hiller used just 1:38 off the game clock to march 29 yards, finding Robert Arnheim (his 93rd career passing TD) in the back of the end zone with a bullet to bring the Broncos within a score, 14-20 with 8:31 left in regulation.  It was the first receiving TD since Sept. 12 at Indiana and third of his career.  He led all Bronco receivers with seven grabs for 78 yards. Kent State almost as quickly, scoring the game’s final touchdown on a seven-play, 72-yard drive to go ahead, 26-14 with just over five minutes remaining.  WMU tried to continue the comeback, driving to Kent State’s 33-yard line but a bobbled reception ended up in the hands of the Flashes’ Luke Batton and KSU sealed the game with a nine-play drive that burned out the rest of the time on the clock. After winning and deferring the opening coin toss, as the Broncos have done four times already this year, Kent State moved the ball 73 yards on 14 plays to open the game’s scoring with a 24-yard Freddie Cortez.  A stalled Western Michigan drive gave the Flashes the ball back deep in their own territory but a 44-yard completion from Spencer Keith to Jameson Konz on third down moved the ball into Bronco territory. The Golden Flashes scored on three of its five first half drives (KSU downed the ball to end the half on its fifth drive), scoring a second field goal off the foot of Cortez with 8:17 remaining in the second quarter and Keith hit Tyshon Goode from 35-yards out for KSU’s lone TD of the first half.  Goode finished the half with a career best 141 yards receiving and finished the game with 198 yards on 11 catches.  Keith also had a career high with 373 yards on 24-of-34 passing. Despite being out-gained 287-137, Western Michigan trailed by only six points heading into the break.  The first half came to an end with neither team incurring a penalty and lasted just one hour, nine minutes. Justin Braska filled up the defensive stat sheet with six tackles (five solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and the Broncos’ lone sack of the game.  He also had a pass break up, batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage and had a QB hurry.  Vernon Stewart had his second forced fumble of the year and first career fumble recovery, all on the same play. Western Michigan closes out its non-conference slate with Michigan State in East Lansing, on Nov. 7.  The Broncos, who are 2-0 against Big Ten teams in the month of November under Cubit, will kick it off at 12 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.