BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The No. 4 seed Western Michigan volleyball team takes aim at its second straight MAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday as it takes on No. 3 Ball State in the MAC Championship match.
No. 4 WMU (19-12, 13-5 MAC) vs. No. 3 Ball State (22-9, 13-5)
Sunday, Nov. 24 | 4 pm |
WATCH LIVE |
LIVE STATS
FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUVolleyball
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan booked its place in Sunday's championship match with a thrilling five-set victory over top seed Bowling Green on Saturday.
Logan Case recorded her team-leading 12th double-double (57 assists, 15 digs) and set four teammates up for double-digit kills for the third straight match. The victory sent WMU to the championship match for the second consecutive year and third time in the last five seasons.
MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Broncos have enjoyed a lot of success at the MAC Championship, compiling a 44-28 all-time record and capturing seven tournament titles. Western Michigan is 7-5 all-time in the championship round, and is looking to become the first team to repeat as MAC Tournament champion since Ohio won three straight from 2008-10.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
For the second consecutive season, WMU's
Andelyn Simkins was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. The fifth-year libero was second in the MAC in league play with 4.52 digs/set, and helped the Broncos post a league-leading 15.82 digs/set. Overall, Simkins is third in the conference and 41st in NCAA DI with 4.81 digs/set.
ALL-MAC PERFORMERS
In addition to winning her second straight MAC Defensive Player of the Year award,
Andelyn Simkins was also an All-MAC First Team selection for the second straight year. Joining Simkins on the First Team was
Logan Case, who earned All-MAC First Team honors for the fifth consecutive season. Rounding out WMU's honorees was
Madison Merz, who picked up an All-MAC Second Team selection.
CLOSING IN ON HISTORY
Logan Case enters Sunday just 18 assists away from becoming the MAC's all-time leader in career assists. Case is the NCAA's active leader in career assists and currently ranks second in NCAA Division I this season at 11.66 assists/set.
MUNSON'S MILESTONE
With a win on Sunday,
Colleen Munson would become the sixth head coach in the history of WMU Athletics to reach 400 career wins for the Broncos.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State owns a 53-51 edge in the overall series between the two programs. The Broncos and Cardinals split a pair of matches in Muncie during the final weekend of the regular season. Western Michigan is 6-3 against BSU in the MAC Tournament, with each team having won once in the championship round, the Cardinals in 1999 and WMU claiming the title in 2000.
