KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team looks to stay unbeaten in conference play (8-0) on Tuesday night as it welcomes Northern Illinois to University Arena.
WMU (18-2, 8-0 MAC) vs NIU (8-12, 6-2)
Tuesday, Oct. 17 | 6 pm |
TICKETS |
WATCH LIVE |
LIVE STATS
FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUVolleyball
THE FIRST SERVE
Boasting a 7-0 home record in 2023, Western Michigan wraps up its three-match homestand on Tuesday against NIU. Tuesday's match is the first of two contests between the two MAC West foes, with WMU set to make the return to trip to DeKalb, Ill., on Nov. 15 for the regular season finale.
LAST TIME OUT
WMU kept on rolling last week as it beat Central Michigan in straight sets twice.
Anna Calcagno led a red-hot Bronco attack with 4.67 kills/set on a .357 hitting percentage. With the two victories, Western Michigan improved to 8-0 in the MAC, marking the first time the Broncos have won their first eight league matches since starting 13-0 in conference play back in 1999.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northern Illinois is coming off of a pair of straight-set wins as well, as it swept Eastern Michigan. NIU libero Crew Hoffmeier ranks second in the conference in digs/set (4.58), while middle blocker Charli Atiemo is second in the league in blocks/set (1.03) and fourth in hitting percentage (.335).
SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan holds a 37-29 advantage in the all-time series against NIU. Last season, the two teams played a pair of five-set matches, with each team winning on its own home court.
CASE EARNS SEVENTH WEEKLY AWARD
Logan Case earned her seventh MAC West Setter of the Week of the season after averaging 12.50 assists/set and helping the Broncos hit a combined .310 in last week's victories against CMU. For the season, she is third in NCAA DI at 11.54 assists/set.
RECORD CHASING
With her 75 assists against CMU,
Logan Case moved to within seven helpers of becoming Western Michigan's all-time record holder. Mary Murphy (2015-18) currently holds the record with 4,501.
LEAGUE LEADERS
For the season, Western Michigan leads the conference in hitting percentage (.264), opponent hitting percentage (.180), assists/set (13.07) and kills/set (13.99). On a national level, WMU's assists/set and kills/set totals rank seventh and 11th, respectively. WMU is hitting a league-best .293 in MAC play.
