KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team fell to Mid-American Conference West Division leaders Ball State, 3-0 (19-25, 23-25, 17-25), on Saturday afternoon at University Arena.

The Cardinals had a .320 hitting percentage, while holding the Broncos to a .156. Maggie King led WMU with nine kills, while Meredith Phillips just missed out on a double-double with a career-best 14 digs and eight kills. Logan Case finished with 30 assists and 11 digs to register her team-leading 11th double-double of the season.

Western Michigan built leads in both of the first two sets but were unable to hold off BSU. In the first set an attack error by Ball State's Jaclyn Bulhman gave the Broncos a 14-8 lead. The Cardinals responded with a 6-1 run. WMU was able to maintain a two-point gap until a 5-1 run gave BSU a 20-18 lead. A kill by Kennedy Hogan got the Broncos within one, 20-19, but the Cardinals closed it out with five straight points.

Ball State opened the second set with a small lead but the Broncos chipped away at it and used a 7-1 run to take a 14-10 lead. Western Michigan maintained its four-point gap at 20-16 but BSU responded with a 5-1 run to tie it up at 21-21. WMU took a 22-21 lead after a kill by Phillips and then a 23-22 lead on another kill by her but the Cardinals scored the final three points to edge out WMU 25-23.

Ball State led from end to end in the third set, leading by as much as eight after a kill by Megan Wielonski made it 20-12 and finished off the set with a 25-17 win.

Western Michigan hosts Ohio on Friday at 6 p.m. before welcoming Kent State to University Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m.