BOWLING GREEN, Ohio –  For the first time since 2017 the Western Michigan volleyball team will play for a Mid-American Conference Championship after defeating No.3 seed Ohio in four sets (25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16) in the MAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday night.

No.2 seed Western Michigan will square off with No.1 seed and MAC Regular Season Champion Bowling Green on Saturday, April 3 in the MAC Championship. First serve is set for 5:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.  

It's the Broncos first appearance in the MAC Championship match since 2017. WMU seeks its sixth MAC Tournament Title and first since 2014. On Saturday the Broncos seek an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in school history.

The Broncos hit .264 en route to winning its fourth straight match as senior outside hitter Rachel Bontrager and sophomore outside hitter Maggie King each recorded double-digit kills against the Bobcats. Bontrager along with freshman Logan Case also recorded double-doubles in the MAC Semifinal victory.

Reigning MAC Player of the Year Rachel Bontrager posted a match-high 22 kills to go along with a career-high 26 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. The Valparaiso, Ind., native also had a stellar .312 hitting percentage with three blocks. Bontrager has now recorded double-digit kills in 19 straight matches while her 22 kills marked the seventh match this season with at least 20 kills.

Second Team All-MAC selection Maggie King matched her career-high with 19 kills and hit .286 with four digs and one block. King has earned double-digit kills in 12 straight matches and has now had double-digit kills in 16 of WMU's 22 matches this season.

For the sixth match this season MAC Freshman & Setter of the Year Logan Case recorded a double-double with 51 assists and 16 digs. The 16 digs for Case matched her career-high while her 51 assists marked the ninth match this season with at least 50 assists.

Western Michigan had five players with double-digit digs against Ohio as Bontrager and Case combined for 42 digs followed by senior libero/defensive specialist Kaley Smith with 24 digs. The freshman duo of Mairead Boyle and Andelyn Simkins each had double-digit digs as Boyle had 14 while Simkins had 13.

As a team WMU hit .264 and held Ohio to just a .155 hitting percentage. Ohio registered eight service aces to WMU's two while also holding an 8-7 advantage in blocks. Western Michigan recorded a staggering 103 digs to Ohio's 82 in the four-set win and had 61 assists on 68 kills.

With the win the Broncos have four straight and 12 of their last 13 matches. WMU now has an overall record of 18-4.

Set One (Western Michigan – 25, Ohio – 19)
Western Michigan was led in the first set by Second Team All-MAC performer Maggie King who posted eight kills in the set. Ohio got out to an early lead prior to Western Michigan embarking on an 8-1 run with four kills from King to gain a 12-7 advantage. Out of a timeout the Bobcats cut the Bronco lead down to three before a 3-0 run by the Broncos gave WMU a 15-9 lead.

Midway through the set the Bobcats went on a 3-0 run to trim the WMU lead down to two before a King kill and a service ace extend the Bronco lead. Down the stretch the Broncos got kills from King and Logan Case to win the first set 25-19 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two (Western Michigan – 25, Ohio – 16)
Western Michigan never trailed in the second set as senior Rachel Bontrager recorded five of the first six kills for the Broncos en route to a 7-4 lead early. WMU embarked on a 5-0 run and had a 12-5 lead midway through the second set and ultimately extended its lead to 17-8 after another 3-0 run late.

The Bobcats cut into the WMU lead midway through the set with a 3-0 run of their own as WMU held on to a 17-11 lead. Late in the second set WMU again embarked on a 3-0 run with back-to-back kills from King to give the Brown & Gold a 22-13 advantage. Down the stretch WMU scored six of the final nine points to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set Three (Western Michigan – 19, Ohio – 25)
It was a back and forth battle early on in the third set as neither team led by more than three through the first 20 points. Midway through the set the Bobcats embarked on a 3-0 run to gain a 17-13 lead. Western Michigan responded with two straight points highlighted by a kill from Maggie King to cut trim its deficit down to two.

The Bobcats rallied with four straight point and seven of the next nine to gain a 21-15 advantage late in the third set. WMU got to within five after back-to-back kills from Cassandra Smigiel but a WMU attack error gave the Bobcats the third set victory.

Set Four (Western Michigan – 25, Ohio – 16)
The Broncos gained all the momentum early in the fourth set jumping out to an early 4-0 lead. WMU ultimately earned a 10-4 lead after a 3-0 run along with four of the first seven kills coming from Rachel Bontrager. Ohio clawed its way back midway through the set after a 3-0 cut the Bronco lead down to 14-10.

The four-point advantage was the closest the Bobcats as WMU used a 3-0 late in the set to gain a 23-15 lead. The Broncos ended the set scoring five of the final six points to win the fourth set and the match.