KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan will look to defend its MAC Tournament title, squaring off with Ball State in the semifinals on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. The teams will hit the field at 4 PM. 

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan claimed the outright MAC Championship and the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament with a 2-0 victory at Buffalo on Oct. 29. WMU is now the first team in MAC history to win three straight regular season titles. 

Abby Smothers scored both goals in the win, while Reagan Sulaver made three saves in net to pick up her eighth shutout of the season. 

RACKING UP THE AWARDS
The Broncos were well represented on the MAC postseason awards list, which was released by the league office on Oct. 31. 

Drew Martin (Midfielder of the Year), Mira Pierre-Webster (Defensive Player of the Year), Lewis Robinson (Coach of the Year) and Reagan Sulaver (Freshman of the Year) all earned specialty awards. 

Martin has 22 points on five goals and a MAC-leading 12 assists. Pierre-Webster and Sulaver spearheaded the best defense in the league, limiting opponents to just eight goals during MAC play. Robinson has guided the Brown and Gold to a 26-1-7 league record over the last three seasons. 

Joining them on the All-MAC Teams were Abby Smothers (First Team), Madi Canada (Second Team), Avery Peters (Second Team) and Heidi Thomasma (Second Team). 

SMOTHERS MAKES HISTORY
Abby Smothers cemented herself as one of the best players in program history, scoring twice against Buffalo to claim the program's career record for points. 

Smothers has been with the program for just three seasons, totaling 73 points on 27 goals and 19 assists. She has 10 goals and five assists this season to lead the team with 25 points. 

The Livonia, Mich. native has been known for her big-game ability. She was the MAC Tournament MVP last season, collecting 10 points across two games. She broke the MAC Tournament record with eight points (three goals, two assists) in the championship game against Buffalo.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Ball State got hot to end the regular season, winning five of its last six games. BSU then advanced to the MAC Semifinals with a PK win over Kent State back on Nov. 1. 

WMU leads the all-time series, 16-12-5, which includes a win against the Cardinals earlier this season. The two teams have played at a neutral site just twice, with each team winning once. 

Addie Chester is the main offensive weapon, entering Tuesday's action with 27 points on 11 goals and five assists. She leads the MAC in goals and points. 

In net, Kate Pallante has started the last handful of games. She owns a 6-4-1 record to go along with a 0.95 goals against average and .828 save percentage. She has 53 total saves this season.