MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - The Western Michigan volleyball team rallied to tie their match with Central Michigan at one set apiece, but the Broncos couldn't overcome the Chippewas in falling 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 21-25, 15-25) on Saturday night. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 8-6 on the season, with a 1-1 record in the Mid-American Conference.

The Broncos would bounce back from a loss in the first set to tie the score with the Chippewas, building a lead and holding on for the set win despite the best efforts of CMU. However, the Broncos were unable to maintain the momentum as the reigning conference tournament champions held serve on home court.

Jessica Brown led the Broncos offensive with 13 kills, and also contributed two digs, a block, and an ace. Richelle Ranney also reached double figures in kills with 10 and recorded a .368 hitting percentage. Lena Oliver contributed 15 digs, while freshman Caroline Rose added 10 digs to the cause.

The Broncos' strongest effort came in the second set, when the team was able to build a lead on the Chippewas and hold on to it for the duration of the set. WMU trailed 3-1 to begin the set but quickly rebounded, tying the score at 3-3 on back-to-back kills from Brown. WMU took the lead at 8-7 on a CMU error and ran with it, posting a 6-1 run to take control of the set.

After a Brown kill forced the Chippewas into taking a timeout while trailing 12-8, the teams began to trade points, with the Broncos able to hold the Chippewas just at arm's length. The lead again reached three points when Brown notched a service ace to make it 16-13, and Gillian Asque would record a solo block expand the lead to 20-17. CMU tied the set at 22-22, but the Broncos held tough and eventually took a 25-24 lead on a kill from Ranney. The Broncos locked up the second set win when Ranney and Asque combined for the block to make it 26-24 and tie the match.

The Broncos' best opportunity to take control of the match for good came in the third set, but the Chippewas were able to hold the Broncos off and take the 2-1 lead overall. Terin Norris broke a 2-2 tie with a tip kill, and the Broncos built their lead all the way to five points when Ranney and Carlee Berland notched a block to make it 8-3.

The Chippewas battle back to pull within 11-10, and while the Broncos would hold the lead briefly, CMU took a 15-14 lead and never looked back. Ranney would notch a kill to make it 22-21, but the Chippewas scored the final three points to clinch the set and take the 2-1 lead. CMU would win the final set 25-15 to clinch the win.