KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision (20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-13) to Ohio on Friday evening at University Arena.
 
Meredith Phillips led WMU (14-9, 7-5) in kills with 11, while Madison Merz tallied nine kills on a .320 hitting percentage. Logan Case picked up her team-leading 12th double-double of the season, handing out a match-high 36 assists and collecting 10 digs. Maddie Arundel led all players with a new career-best 26 digs.
 
After WMU got out to a 6-3 start in the first set, Ohio (7-16, 7-5) answered with a 5-0 run to take an 8-6 edge. With the frame tied at 13-13, a Kennedy Hogan kill sparked a 3-0 spurt to put the Broncos back on top, 16-13. OU got back within one point five times, but Western Michigan notched five of the final six points of the set to win, 25-20, and take a 1-0 lead in the contest.
 
Even at 7-7 in the second set, the Broncos used a 4-1 run to move ahead, 11-8. A pair of 4-0 stretches helped put the Bobcats in front, 16-14, but Western Michigan countered with four of the next five to regain the advantage, 18-17. A 4-1 Ohio response helped OU overtake WMU to go back on top, 21-19, and the visitors held on from there to even the contest at one set apiece.
 
The third set was back-and-forth much of the way, as it featured a total of 11 ties. Trailing 17-15, Western Michigan notched three straight points to take an 18-17 edge. A 7-4 Ohio stretch got the Bobcats to set point at 24-22, but back-to-back kills by King and Case got WMU back even. Ohio bounced back, taking the next two points to claim the set and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
In the fourth frame, Ohio used a 6-2 surge to break a 4-4 tie and open up a 10-6 lead. At 12-9, the Bobcats tallied of five of the next six points to build their advantage to 17-10. From there, WMU drew no closer than six, and the visitors put the contest away by notching the final five points of the evening.
 
Western Michigan concludes its homestand on Saturday afternoon with a 3 pm contest against Ohio. There will be pre-match trick-or-treating as well as a costume contest. Fans can purchase tickets here. The match will also be streamed live on ESPN3.