KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan senior setter Logan Case became the program's all-time leader in career assists on Tuesday night as the Broncos dispatched Northern Illinois in straight sets (25-21, 25-22, 25-19). With the win, WMU remains undefeated in the MAC (9-0). Its nine-match winning streak is the team's longest since it had a 10-match run in 2011.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, NIU 0
LOCATION: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (19-2, 9-0 MAC) | NIU (8-13, 6-3)
 
On her record-setting night, Case handed out 43 assists, pushing her past Mary Murphy (2015-18) into first-place all-time at WMU. Case has racked up 4,538 assists for the Brown and Gold.
 
Case's 43 assists helped Western Michigan hit .303, the team's seventh contest this season hitting .300 or better, and set up three different Broncos for double-digit kills. Anna Calcagno led the charge by putting down a match-high 17 kills, one shy of her career high, while hitting .375. Maggie King (12) and Keona Salesman (11) were also in double-figures for WMU. With her 12 kills, King broke a tie with former teammate Rachel Bontrager (2017-20), for second on Western Michigan's all-time kills list. King has recorded 1,668 kills as a Bronco.
 
Western Michigan's defensive effort was spearheaded by Andelyn Simkins and Reeghan Boyer, who registered 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Tuesday marked the seventh consecutive match in which both Simkins and Boyer notched double-digit digs.
 
Seven consecutive points helped the Broncos get out to a 9-4 advantage in the first set. NIU worked its way back to within three several times, including at 19-16, but Western Michigan responded with three in a row to stretch the margin out to 22-16. The Huskies closed the gap to three again at 24-21, but Mary Clare Brusek hammered down a kill to seal the first set for the Brown and Gold.
 
In the second set, WMU used a 5-1 run to break a 3-3 tie and open up an 8-4 lead. Northern Illinois worked its way back to within one, 11-10, before a 4-1 spurt extended the margin back to 16-12. The Huskies stayed within striking distance, and shrunk the margin to a single point on several occasions, the last of which came at 23-22. A Salesman kill brought Western Michigan to set point, and Brusek once again delivered the decisive point, this time serving up an ace, to send the Broncos into the break ahead 2-0.
 
WMU got out to a quick start in the third frame, rolling out to an 8-3 advantage. The Broncos then used a 7-2 stretch to build the margin to nine, 16-7. Western Michigan held a lead of no less than five for the remainder of the frame, and Calcagno fired home her 17th kill of the night to clinch the victory for the Brown and Gold.
 
Western Michigan hits the road this weekend for a pair of matches at Eastern Michigan. First serve for Friday's series opener against the Eagles is set for 6 pm on ESPN+.    

Postmatch interviews with head coach Colleen Munson and senior setter Logan Case: