KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the fifth time this season the Western Michigan volleyball team earned a three set victory as the Broncos swept Buffalo (25-21, 25-23, 25-22) on Friday afternoon inside University Arena.

Western Michigan was guided by a .235 hitting percentage while holding the Bulls to just a .150 hitting percentage. WMU also had five service aces, 48 digs and seven blocks on Friday afternoon.

The Broncos had two players register double-digit kills led by sophomore Maggie King with 16. King hit .294 against Buffalo while also having three digs. King has had double digit kills in back-to-back matches and three of the last five. In two matches against Buffalo King has collected 34 kills, averaging 4.25 kills per set.

Rounding out the double digit kill performances was senior Rachel Bontrager with 13. Bontrager hit just .162 on the afternoon but had one assist, five digs and four blocks. The senior outside hitter has earned double digit kills in nine straight matches and has 43 kills in the last two matches against Buffalo.  Bontrager is now just 33 kills away from becoming the third player in school history to eclipse 1,500 career kills.

Freshman Abi Wilcoxson had her best performance as a Bronco with a career-high seven kills with a .200 hitting percentage. Behind Wilcoxson was redshirt junior Charley Andrews with four kills followed by freshman Logan Case with three, redshirt junior Janell Williams with two and freshman Andelyn Simkins with one.

Case led the Broncos with 37 assists, snapping a streak of six straight matches with at least 40 assists. In the two matches against Buffalo Case recorded 94 assists, averaging a staggering 11.75 assists per set.

Coming off her record performance on Thursday, senior libero/defensive specialist Kaley Smith led the Broncos defensively with 23 digs. Smith has earned double digit digs in eight of the last nine matches and had 59 digs in two matches against Buffalo.

With the win Western Michigan won its third straight match and improved its overall and Mid-American Conference record to 9-3. It will be a short lay-off as WMU prepares for a Sunday, March 7 showdown with Ball State inside University Arena. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m.

First Set (WMU – 25, Buffalo – 21)
It was a tight battle between the Broncos and Bulls early in the first set. Western Michigan used a 3-0 run early in the first set to gain a 13-12 advantage. The two teams once again traded points midway through the first before a Maggie King Kill gave WMU a 20-19 lead. Down the stretch WMU scored eight of the final 10 points to win the first set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Second Set (WMU – 25, Buffalo – 23)
Once again it was a back and forth battle to begin the set before the Bulls embarked on a 12-0 run to take a 19-9 lead. Leading by 10 the Broncos battled their way back, going on a 6-0 run to cut the Buffalo lead down to four and forcing the Bulls to call a timeout. The 6-0 run for the Brown & Gold was highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Mairead Boyle.

Out of the timeout, WMU continued to claw its way back and after a Bontrager kill trailed 22-20 late in the second. After a Buffalo kill gave the Bulls a three-point advantage the Broncos scored five straight points to win the set and gain a 2-0 advantage in the match. The comeback effort by WMU was guided by Buffalo's six attack errors along with one set, block and serve error.

Third Set (WMU – 25, Buffalo -  22)
Western Michigan continued its momentum from the second set into the third and raced out to a 15-9 lead thanks to a 3-0 run highlighted once again by back-to-back service aces. Western Michigan was the first team to 20 before the Bulls responded with a 5-1 run late in the third to tie the set at 22.

However, a Simkins kill followed by a Buffalo attack error gave WMU a 24-22 advantage. Charley Andrews finished out the match with her lone service ace to give WMU the three-set victory.