KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan volleyball team returns to University Arena on Friday and Saturday to open up a four-match homestand against Ball State. The Broncos and Cardinals meet at 6 pm on Friday evening and again at 3 pm on Saturday afternoon. Fans can purchase tickets here. Friday's match is also available on ESPN+, while Saturday's will be streamed on Bronco All-Access.

HOME SWEET HOME
After going 2-2 on its four-match road swing, WMU returns to University Arena this weekend to begin a four-match homestand against Ball State. Six of Western Michigan's next eight contests will be within the friendly confines of University Arena, where the Broncos are 5-1 so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan split its road series at Toledo last weekend. The Broncos fell behind 2-0 in Friday's series opener, but rallied back to beat the Rockets in five. WMU found itself in a 2-0 hole again on Saturday afternoon, but after winning the third frame to extend the match, fell to UT in four.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
After dropping its first conference match at Kent State in late September, Ball State has reeled off eight straight wins, including a four-set victory over Toledo on Tuesday. The Cardinals sit atop the MAC in hitting percentage at .262 and have three placed in the top-8 in the conference in hitting. Lauren Gilliland is second at .357, Marie Plitt is third at .346 and Natalie Mitchem is eighth at .311.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Western Michigan owns a slim 48-47 advantage in the all-time series against Ball State. The Broncos and Cardinals played just once during the spring season, with WMU coming out on top, 3-0. The Western Michigan win snapped a four-match winning streak for Ball State in the series.

SETTING THE TABLE
Setter Logan Case continued her excellent sophomore season last weekend, picking up 99 assists (11.00/set) in WMU's two matches at Toledo. For the season, Case sits atop the MAC in both total assists (826) and assists/set (11.47). Her 11.47 assists/set also rank fourth in the nation.

SERVING IT UP
Western Michigan served up a total of 18 aces in last weekend's series at Toledo. The Broncos tied their season high with eight in the series-opening five-set win over the Rockets, then followed that up with a new season-high 10 aces the next afternoon. Madison Merz led WMU with a career-high four in Saturday's contest, which tied for the most by a Bronco in a single match this season.

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan's homestand continues next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, with contests against Ohio and Kent State.