MUNCIE, Ind. – The Western Michigan volleyball team made a valiant effort in trying to come back from 2-1 deficit, but the rally fell just two points short as the Broncos dropped a 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 15-17) decision to the Ball State Cardinals at Worthen Arena on Saturday. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 16-11 overall, 7-5 in Mid-American Conference play.
Four different Broncos reached double-digits in kills against Ball State, with Ave Stout producing a team-high 14 kills to go with a match-high six blocks. Alysia Baznik (12), Mikaela Ryshytylo (11), and Ali Gossen (10) rounded out the WMU players to broach double-figures in kills, while Lexie Pawlik recorded 50 assists and a team-high four service aces. Sierra Hubbard-Neil led the Broncos with 16 digs.
WMU trailed the overall match 2-1 entering the fourth set, but the Broncos took an early lead and held on throughout for the set win. Gossen snapped the last tie of the set with a kill to make it 7-6, and Stout helped WMU win the race to 10 points with a kill at 10-8. The lead expanded to five points when Ryshytylo and Sydney LeMay combined to block Sabrina Mangapora to make it 15-10, and the advantage again reached five points when Stout bashed a kill to make it 19-14. The Cardinals came back, though, and cut the Bronco advantage to just one point at 20-19. Baznik responded with a kill on the next point, and Ryshytylo again held off a Ball State rally with a kill to make it 23-21. Gossen forced set point with a kill, and LeMay set the overall match to a fifth set with one of her own on the next point.
The Cardinals opened the fifth set strong and at one point led 10-4, but WMU responded with a 10-4 run of their own to shock Ball State and nearly complete the comeback. LeMay and Gossen got things going with a block of Kelly Hopkins to make it 10-6, and LeMay made it just a two-point deficit with a kill at 12-10. Baznik pulled the Broncos within a point with a kill at 14-13, and a Ball State error on the next point knotted things up at 14. Baznik tied the set again at 15 with a kill, but the Cardinals finished things off with two straight points for the set and match win.
Ball State opened the match with a win in the first set, but the Broncos battled back in the second to turn things around against their MAC West rivals. WMU trailed 12-11 until Stout tied the set with a kill, and Pawlik gave the Broncos the last lead they would need for the set with a service ace off Kati Vasalakis. Gossen and Stout blocked Amanda Raker at 15-12, and the lead ballooned to 20-13 thanks to a kill by Gossen. Baznik made it 23-17 with a kill, and Pawlik tipped one over at set point to give WMU a 25-18 set win.
