DEKALB, Ill. – The Western Michigan volleyball team finished off a perfect 18-0 Mid-American Conference slate on Wednesday evening, as it won at Northern Illinois in straight sets (25-22, 25-21, 25-20). The Broncos are the first team to go undefeated in MAC play since 2006, and the first team to record an 18-0 mark in the league since 1993.
 
This season marks the seventh time in program history that WMU has gone undefeated in MAC play, having posted six consecutive undefeated conference marks from 1983 to 1988. It is the fourth time the Broncos have gone 18-0 in the league, with the first three coming in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, NIU 0
LOCATION: Victor E. Court (DeKalb, Ill.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (28-2, 18-0 MAC) | NIU (8-22, 6-12)
 
Anna Calcagno recorded her eighth double-double of the season, posting a match-high 14 kills to go along with 14 digs. Maggie King was also in double-figures with 10 kills, while Madison Merz put down eight on 10 swings for an .800 hitting percentage. Logan Case handed out 38 assists for the evening, while Andelyn Simkins led the defensive effort with 19 digs.
 
Northern Illinois tallied five consecutive points to open up a 14-10 advantage in the opening frame. The Broncos whittled the margin to one on multiple occasions, but NIU responded with a quick 3-1 spurt to get the lead back to three, 20-17. WMU then used a 7-1 surge to charge ahead, 24-21, and moments later a Calcagno kill gave Western Michigan the first set, 25-22.
 
In the second set, it was NIU who again grabbed the early edge, getting out to a 5-1 lead. Western Michigan responded with nine of the next 10 points to move ahead, 10-6. The Huskies battled back to within one on several occasions, including at 21-20, before the Brown and Gold tallied four of the final five points to take a 2-0 advantage into the break.
 
With the Huskies holding a 13-10 lead in the third set, the Broncos notched five of the next six to move in front, 15-14. The two teams alternated points until Western Michigan broke an 18-18 tie with four in a row, which ignited a 7-2 run to seal the victory for the Brown and Gold.
 
The Broncos are the No. 1 seed for the Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship, which begins on Saturday with a pair of quarterfinal matchups at University Arena. Western Michigan has a bye into Sunday's semifinals, and is set to face the winner of the first quarterfinal at 4 pm. Tickets for the MAC Volleyball Championship are on sale now at wmubroncos.com/tickets.