KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped the first set on Friday night, but came back to win the next three to dispatch Toledo in four (21-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-20) for its 16th consecutive victory. Having already secured at least a share of the MAC Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship last weekend, Friday's victory assured WMU of the outright regular season league title.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Toledo 1
LOCATION: Savage Arena (Toledo, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (26-2, 16-0 MAC) | Toledo (12-15, 10-6)
 
Logan Case registered her third consecutive double-double, posting 44 assists and 11 digs for her team-leading eighth of the season. Keona Salesman was the main beneficiary of Case's distribution, as the senior hammered down 18 kills while hitting .533. Maggie King was also in double-figures with 11 kills. Mary Clare Brusek and Anna Calcagno delivered eight kills apiece. The service line was a weapon for WMU as well, as the Brown and Gold notched nine aces, including three apiece from King and Andelyn Simkins.
 
Western Michigan's defense boasted four with double-digit digs, led by Simkins with 17. Calcagno, Case and Reeghan Boyer each chipped in 11 digs to help limit Toledo's attack to a .156 hitting percentage for the evening.
 
In the opening frame, four straight points put Toledo out in front, 10-7. A short while later, the hosts ripped off another four in a row to extend the margin to 16-10. The Broncos used a three-point spurt to shrink the gap to three, 22-19, but that was as close as they got, as the Rockets grabbed the first set.
 
Trailing 6-4 in the second, Western Michigan notched five of the next six to take a 9-7 advantage. After Toledo got the next point, the Broncos rattled off five in a row to begin a 9-1 surge which boosted their lead to 18-9. The Rockets worked the margin down to six, 21-15, before the Brown and Gold put the frame away with four straight points, evening the match at one set apiece.
 
A 6-1 run helped WMU break a 3-3 deadlock and open up a 9-4 cushion in the third set. The Rockets closed the gap to two at 12-10, but the Broncos responded with four of the next five to restore their five-point edge, 16-11. Toledo again worked its way back to within two, 19-17, but the Brown and Gold again had an answer, using a five-point outburst to put the frame beyond reach.
 
Western Michigan tallied seven of the first 10 points to begin the fourth set. The Broncos maintained a lead of between two and five until a 6-1 stretch brought WMU's advantage to eight, 21-13. The Rockets countered with a 6-1 run of their own to get back to within three, 23-20. Western Michigan halted the rally there, as kills by Brusek and King sealed the victory for the Brown and Gold.
 
The Broncos and Rockets close out their series on Saturday afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 2 pm on ESPN+.