There was disappointment. There were tears. There were more than a few questions.
How did we get here? How did we let this happen?
That’s how the 2022 season ended for Western Michigan. A program accustomed to a certain amount of success under coach Colleen Munson — nine 20-win seasons and four NCAA Tournaments — was on the outside looking in at the Mid-American Conference tournament.
The 9-9 finish in the MAC Western Division was tough enough to swallow, but it was even more difficult for the Broncos knowing they dropped five five-set conference matches. The last two were the deal-breakers: Back-to-back 3-2 losses to Central Michigan in mid-November.
“We found different ways to lose,” said Munson, now in her 19th season at WMU.
So how could they make 2023 different?
One of the first questions Munson got from her players was: Who is coming in for next season? The coach’s answer probably was jarring: no one.
“We have everything it takes right here,” Munson told her players. “We have it, and we have to develop it, and that’s on me. Everyone wants, in this day and age, who’s in the transfer portal? Who can come from X, Y, Z school? Can we get an international recruit? No. We have it in-house.”
Nearly a year later, the Broncos look…
