LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Western Michigan volleyball team saw its historic season come to an end on Friday night as it fell 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-22) at No. 2 seed Louisville in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Volleyball Championship. With the win, the second-seeded Cardinals advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The loss sees Western Michigan's season come to an end with 31 wins, the most since a 32-win campaign in 1983. It marked the fourth 30-plus win season in program history.
FINAL SCORE: No. 2 Louisville 3, Western Michigan 0
LOCATION: KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (31-3) | No. 2 Louisville (26-4)
Logan Case picked up her ninth double-double of the season as she handed out 36 assists and tied for the team lead with 14 digs.
Andelyn Simkins also added 14 digs for the Broncos.
Anna Calcagno paced the WMU attack with a match-high 13 kills, while
Mary Clare Brusek and
Keona Salesman tallied nine apiece.
In her final match for the Brown and Gold,
Maggie King recorded eight kills and six digs. The Cincinnati native concluded her Western Michigan career with 1,849 kills, the second-most in WMU program history.
Louisville opened the contest by notching seven of the first 10 points of the evening. The Broncos battled back, using a 6-2 spurt to move into the lead, 15-14. After trading points back and forth, the Cardinals moved back ahead, 20-18. Western Michigan tallied four straight points to seize a 22-20 edge, but the hosts countered with six of the final eight points to grab the first set, 26-24.
Three consecutive points helped the Cardinals build a 15-10 lead in the second set, but WMU countered with four in a row to trim the margin right back to one, 15-14. Louisville responded with a four-point spurt of its own to restore the five-point cushion, 19-14. A Case service ace brought the Broncos to within three, 20-17, but UofL closed it out with five of the next six to take a 2-0 lead in the contest.
The Broncos wiped out an early third-set deficit with a 7-1 run to grab a 13-9 advantage. Western Michigan remained in front until four consecutive points ignited a 7-1 surge which put the Cardinals back in front, 19-16. The Brown and Gold got back to within one multiple times, including at 23-22, but the final two points of the night went to Louisville to close out the match.
