MUNCIE, Ind. – The Western Michigan volleyball team had its nine-match winning streak come to an end on Friday night in a 3-0 loss (25-16, 25-12, 25-18) at Ball State.
 
FINAL SCORE: Ball State 3, Western Michigan 0
LOCATION: Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (16-12, 12-5 MAC) | Ball State (20-8, 13-4)
 
Keona Salesman paced the WMU attack with nine kills for the evening, while Julia Marr tallied eight. Logan Case handed out a match-high 26 assists. Andelyn Simkins collected a team-high eight digs, while Carley Piercefield added six.
 
A four-point burst helped the Broncos grab an early 5-3 edge in the opening frame. With Western Michigan still in front, 8-6, Ball State rattled off five in a row to ignite a 10-1 surge which put the hosts ahead, 16-9. WMU got as close as five, 17-12, before a 6-2 run put the first set beyond reach.
 
The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-1 advantage to start the middle frame. At 8-4, BSU tallied five consecutive points to boost the margin to 13-4. Western Michigan got no closer than seven for the rest of the set.
 
Ball State started fast again in the third frame, notching seven of the first nine points. A three-point burst helped Western Michigan work its way back to within three, 11-8. The Cardinals stretched their lead out to seven, 19-12, before another three-point run cut the WMU deficit to four, 19-15. From there, BSU was able to keep the Broncos from getting any closer.
 
Western Michigan and Ball State meet again on Saturday in the final match of the regular season. First serve is slated for 5 pm on ESPN+.