OXFORD, Ohio – For the fifth consecutive season, the Western Michigan volleyball team opened up Mid-American Conference play with a win, as it knocked off Miami in straight sets (25-22, 25-16, 25-16) on Thursday evening in Oxford.
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Miami 0
LOCATION: Millett Hall (Oxford, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (11-2, 1-0 MAC) | Miami (4-9, 0-1)
 
Logan Case handed out 33 assists to help Western Michigan hit .275 for the evening and set up a trio of Broncos for double-digit kills. Anna Calcagno's 12 led the way, while Mary Clare Brusek and Maggie King notched 11 kills apiece. Brusek's 11 kills came on a blistering .500 hitting percentage.
 
Calcagno added 13 digs to her stat line to collect her team-leading fourth double-double of the campaign. Andelyn Simkins registered 12 digs, giving the senior double-digit digs in eight consecutive contests. Case was just shy of a double-double of her own, as she contributed nine digs to WMU's defensive effort.
 
The RedHawks jumped out to an 8-3 edge in the opening frame. Western Michigan responded with five in a row as part of an 11-2 surge to move ahead, 14-10. Miami got as close as one multiple times, including at 18-17, but the Broncos tallied the next three points to create some separation at 21-17. WMU's lead did not dip below two for the remainder of the frame.
 
Six of the first eight points in the second set went to the Broncos. Miami chipped away at the lead and eventually got back even at 11-11. Western Michigan responded with an 8-2 surge to build a 19-13 cushion. At 21-16, the Brown & Gold reeled off the next four points to close out the frame and seize a 2-0 match lead. WMU made just one attacking error on the way to hitting .459 in the second set.
 
Western Michigan kept on rolling in the third set, as it used a 14-4 run to turn an early 3-2 deficit into a 16-7 lead. The RedHawks rattled off four consecutive points to shrink the gap to 21-16, but WMU countered with a four-point run of its own to seal the set and the match victory.
 
The Broncos and RedHawks meet again on Friday night in Oxford. First serve is scheduled for 7 pm on ESPN+.