Preview courtesy of Western Michigan's Athletic Communications Department

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan volleyball team returns to University Arena on Monday night for an in-state showdown against Michigan State.

WMU (1-5) vs MSU (4-0)
Monday, Sept. 8 | 6 pm | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

IN-STATE SHOWDOWN:
Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Monday night as it welcomes Michigan State to town. The Broncos and Spartans are meeting for the second straight year, with WMU having swept MSU in East Lansing last season. 

LAST TIME OUT:
The Broncos are coming off of an 0-3 run at the Indiana Invitational. WMU dropped a four-setter to Northern Kentucky, a five-set battle to Southeast Missouri State and then fell in straight sets to host Indiana to wrap up the tournament.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:
After starting the season with a pair of home wins, Michigan State improved to 4-0 last week with road victories over Evansville and Southern Indiana. Taylah Holdem spearheads the MSU attack with an average of 4.08 kills/set on a .333 hitting percentage. Defensively, Breccan Scheck is averaging 1.00 blocks/set for the Spartans.

SERIES HISTORY:
MSU owns a 20-8-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Broncos, with Western Michigan's victory in East Lansing last year marking its first victory in the series since 1993. Michigan State won its last visit to Kalamazoo back in 2019.

BRONCOS VS THE BIG TEN:
MSU is Western Michigan's second Big Ten opponent of the season, having lost at Indiana on Friday night. The Broncos have picked up a win over a Big Ten team in back-to-back seasons, having won at Michigan State last year and at Michigan in 2023. The last time a Big Ten foe came to Kalamazoo was Indiana in 2021, with the Broncos winning that matchup against the Hoosiers in five. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE:
Redshirt freshman setter Leah Richmond has racked up four double-doubles in her first six collegiate matches for the Broncos. The Indianapolis native neared a triple-double last Thursday against Northern Kentucky, racking up 30 assists, 16 digs and seven blocks. She posted her third straight double-double the following afternoon against SEMO, registering 41 assists and a career-high 18 digs. For the season, she is averaging 9.48 assists per set, which ranks third in the MAC. 

ERICKSON EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT:
For the second consecutive week, Elana Erickson was an All-Tournament selection, earning the honor at the Indiana Invitational. For the tournament, WMU's sophomore libero totaled 44 digs (3.67/set) and went 50-for-52 (.962) in serve receive. At 4.65 digs/set, she sits atop the conference.

PRESEASON POLL:
After finishing tied for third in the standings last year, WMU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Reigning regular season champion Bowling Green was tabbed as the league favorite, followed by Ball State and CMU.