BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Western Michigan volleyball team took the first two sets, but ultimately fell in five (20-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-7) on Friday night at Bowling Green.
 
FINAL SCORE: Bowling Green 3, Western Michigan 2
LOCATION: Stroh Center (Bowling Green, Ohio)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (5-9, 1-2 MAC) | Bowling Green (9-6, 4-0)
 
Logan Case handed out 47 assists for the night and set up four Broncos for eight or more kills. Anna Calcagno and Keona Salesman paced Western Michigan with 11 kills apiece, while Julia Marr tallied nine and Amanda Glanton notched eight.
 
Defensively, Andelyn Simkins registered 14 digs to lead the way for the Brown and Gold. Elana Erickson added 13 digs, one shy of her career high, and Case collected nine to just miss out on her seventh double-double of the campaign. Glanton paced WMU in blocks with four.
 
With Bowling Green leading 16-14 in the first set, Western Michigan rattled off five in a row to move ahead, 19-16. Holding a two-point edge, 21-19, the Broncos used a three-point spurt to open up a 24-19 cushion. After BGSU fought off one set point, Marr hammered down the decisive kill to give WMU the opening frame.
 
The Broncos tallied four in a row to grab an early 8-4 edge in the second set. Western Michigan's advantage stayed between two and five until a four-point burst extended the margin to 21-15. The four-point run was the start of an 8-2 finish to the second set which put the Brown and Gold on top 2-0 in the contest.
 
Bowling Green got to out to a quick start in the third as it grabbed the first six points. After WMU closed the gap to 6-3, BGSU ripped off another five straight to extend the margin to 11-3. The Falcons led by no fewer than five for the rest of the frame to send the contest into a fourth.
 
BGSU continued its momentum into the fourth set as it raced out to an 8-2 lead. Western Michigan whittled its way back to within five, 10-5, but the Falcons used a 4-1 spurt to boost the margin to eight, 14-6. Bowling Green again kept the Broncos at arm's length for the rest of the frame, forcing the match into a decisive fifth set.
 
In the fifth, WMU responded to an early 3-1 deficit by notching three straight to take a 4-3 edge. With the Broncos leading 5-4, Bowling Green ripped off nine in a row to surge ahead, 13-5. Western Michigan tallied the next two to close the gap to 13-7, but the Falcons answered with two of their own to seal the frame and the comeback victory.
 
The Broncos and Falcons continue their weekend set on Saturday. First serve is slated for 4 pm on ESPN+.