BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The No. 4 seed Western Michigan volleyball team began the 2024 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 win (25-19, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18) over No. 5 seed Buffalo in Friday's first quarterfinal match. With the victory, the Broncos advance to Saturday's semifinal round, where they will face top-seeded Bowling Green.  
 
FINAL SCORE: Western Michigan 3, Buffalo 1
LOCATION: Stroh Center (Bowling Green, Ohio)
RECORDS: No. 4 Western Michigan (18-12) | No. 5 Buffalo (16-16)
 
Logan Case handed out 53 assists to help fuel a Western Michigan attack which hit .371 in the contest. Four Broncos notched double-digit kills, led by Mary Clare Brusek, who hammered down 16 while hitting .483. Joining Brusek in double-figures were Keona Salesman (13, .267), Madison Merz (12, .500) and Julia Marr (11, .417).
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Andelyn Simkins posted a team-high 19 digs, Reeghan Boyer added 12, Elana Erickson had 11 and Case chipped in nine. The Brown and Gold also recorded 10 blocks, with four apiece from Salesman (3 solo, 1 assist) and Marr (1 solo, 3 assists) leading the charge up front.
 
Western Michigan grabbed seven of the first 10 points of the contest to seize the early edge. A stretch of three Brusek kills in the span of four points helped the Brown and Gold extend the margin to 12-6. At 16-11, Buffalo used a 4-1 spurt to close the gap to 17-15. WMU responded with a 4-1 run of its own to build the lead back to five, 22-17, and held off the Bulls from there to take the first, 25-19. The Broncos hit a blistering .517 and made just one error in the opening stanza.
 
A 5-1 run helped WMU get out to a 10-5 advantage in the second set. At 15-12, the Broncos put together another 5-1 stretch to increase their cushion to 20-13. The lead never dipped below six for the remainder of the frame, and Western Michigan took a 2-0 edge into the break.
 
Four straight points helped the Broncos take a 13-10 edge in the third set. At 16-14, Buffalo rattled off six in a row to move ahead, 20-16. The six-point burst was the catalyst for the Bulls to take the frame, 25-19, and extend the contest into a fourth.
 
Western Michigan notched seven of the first eight points to start the fourth. With the margin at 12-8, the Broncos used a 6-2 run to expand their lead to 18-10. A short while later, WMU used a four-point burst to make it 23-13. The Bulls fought off four set points before Brusek put down the match-sealing kill.
 
The Broncos continue their run at the 2024 MAC Volleyball Championship on Saturday afternoon as they take on top-seeded Bowling Green in the semifinals. Saturday's semifinal match against the Falcons is slated for 4 pm on ESPN+.