KALAMAZOO, Mich.  – In a tightly contested match against Mid-American Conference West Division foe Ball State the Western Michigan volleyball team fell in four sets (25-17, 18-25, 18-25, 18-25) on Friday night inside University Arena.

Junior Rachel Bontrager led the Broncos with 18 kills and added 14 digs for her team-high ninth double-double of the season. Bontrager registered a .289 attack percentage against the Cardinals and has now posted double digit kills in 16 straight matches.

Posting her fourth double-double of the season, freshman Maggie King ranked second on the team with 11 kills and 11 digs. King also recorded two assists and two service aces on the night. It's the second straight match King has posted double-digit kills.

Hitting the court for the first time since Oct. 5 due to injury, junior Mary Marzo nearly posted a double-double with 28 assists and eight digs. It's the most assists for Marzo in a match since having 33 back on Sept. 21 versus Michigan State.

Leading the way defensively for the Brown & Gold was senior Kathleen Reilly with 32 digs, the most in a match by Reilly since Oct. 25. It's the fourth match this season in which Reilly has posted over 30 digs.

The Broncos now have an overall record of 13-12 and 4-9 in conference play. Western Michigan will return to action for its home finale on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5:00 p.m. against Toledo. After the match the Western Michigan volleyball program will honor its four seniors, Willow Martin, Kathleen Reilly, Kate Carey and Kennedy Potts.

Set One (WMU – 25, Ball State – 17)
It was a dominant first set for the Brown & Gold, recording a .500 attack percentage en route to a 25-17 set victory. In the first set, Bontrager led the way for the Broncos with six kills followed by King with five.

Two teams went back and forth to begin the set as Ball State went on a 3-0 run early on to tie the set at 9-9. However, WMU responded midway through the set embarking on a 9-3 run to hold an 18-12 advantage.

After a kill from Ball State, WMU went on another 3-0 run to capture a 21-13 lead. King recorded the final two kills for WMU to grab a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two (WMU – 18, Ball State – 25)
It was a back and forth battle in the second set as both teams traded points early on before WMU went on a 3-0 run thanks to back-to-back Ball State errors to gain a 6-3 advantage. The Cardinals rallied back later on and went on a 3-0 run of their own to tie the set at 10-10.

The two teams were deadlocked at 15-15 midway through the second before Ball State went on another 3-0 run to regain its lead. A kill from Charley Andrews tied the set at 17-17 prior to the Cardinals dominating down the stretch, going on a 7-1 run to secure the set and tie the match at 1-1.

Set Three (WMU – 18, Ball State – 25)
With the match tied at 1-1, the Broncos once again got off to a fast start, using a 4-0 run to start the set and ultimately holding a 9-5 lead.

Midway through the set Ball State regained the lead, going on a 7-0 run and forcing WMU to call a timeout trailing 17-13. Western Michigan cut its deficit down to three after a kill from Williams followed by a service ace from Maggie King to force BSU to call a timeout. To end the set, BSU went on a 4-0 run to gain a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set Four (WMU – 18, Ball State– 25)
In the fourth set Western Michigan grabbed a 5-3 lead early prior to Ball State tying the set and ultimately going on a 7-1 run to secure a 12-7 advantage.

The Broncos cut its deficit down to three after a kill from Meredith Phillips prior to a 3-0 run by Ball State to extend its lead to 17-11. WMU got back to within five late in the fourth thanks to a kill and service ace from Bontrager, before Ball State ended the set on a 3-0 run to clinch the four-set victory.