HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Western Michigan volleyball team dropped its second straight match at the Erie Insurance Invitational on Saturday afternoon is it fell 3-1 (29-31, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17) to High Point.
 
FINAL SCORE: High Point 3, Western Michigan 1
LOCATION: Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Va.)
RECORDS: Western Michigan (4-4) | High Point (4-3)
 
Logan Case, who handed out 47 assists, set up three Broncos for double-digit kills, led by Keona Salesman's season-high 21. Salesman has been in double-figures in all eight of WMU's matches this season. Joining Salesman in double-figures were Madison Merz, who recorded a season-high 12, and Annalise Patchett, who added a career-high 11. Mary Clare Brusek was just short of double-digits, as she tallied nine kills.
 
On the defensive side, five Broncos had at least seven digs on the afternoon with Andelyn Simkins' 20 leading the way. Elana Erickson was also in double-figures with 11. Reeghan Boyer had nine, Carley Piercefield recorded eight and Case chipped in with seven digs for WMU.
 
The tightly-contested first set featured a total of 15 ties. With the frame even at 13-13, High Point notched three straight to take a 16-13 edge, which matched the largest cushion for either team in the contest's first two sets. At 17-14, Western Michigan rattled off five in a row to move in front, 19-17. With the Broncos leading 23-20, the Panthers used a 5-1 spurt to get to set point at 25-24. Amanda Glanton kept WMU alive with a solo block to bring it even again, 25-25. The two teams then went back and forth until back-to-back HPU errors gave the Brown and Gold the first set, 31-29.
 
Breathing room was once again hard to come by for either side in the second set, which featured 12 more ties. WMU used a 5-1 spurt to grab a 10-9 edge, but that was quickly erased by a four-point response which put High Point back into a 13-10 lead. The Broncos countered with four of the next five to draw level, 14-14. With HPU once again on top, 17-15, Western Michigan put together another 4-1 stretch, with a Reeghan Boyer ace putting the Brown and Gold in front, 19-18. The Panthers answered, and the two proceeded to go back and forth once again until High Point broke a 23-23 deadlock with back-to-back points to even the match at one set apiece.
 
The Panthers grabbed five of the first six points in the third set. Western Michigan responded with a 7-2 run to briefly grab an 11-10 edge. High Point then ripped off six in a row as part of a 9-1 surge to grab a 19-12 advantage. A four-point burst cut the margin to three, 19-16, but the Broncos got no closer, and HPU grabbed a 2-1 match lead.  
 
The early portion of the fourth set was again closely contested with 4-0 runs on either side canceling each other out. With the frame even at 13-13, the Panthers collected another four in a row to move ahead, 17-13. The Brown and Gold grabbed three of the next four, trimming the margin to 18-16. At 19-17, High Point ripped off six straight to close out the set and seal the match.  
 
The Broncos wrap up their weekend at the Erie Insurance Invitational on Sunday as they take on tournament host James Madison. First serve is slated for 10 am on ESPN+.