Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Department
Western Michigan Broncos (8-5, 0-2 MAC)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After a month away from home, the Western Michigan volleyball team returns to University Arena on Tuesday night for a rivalry matchup against Central Michigan.
HOME SWEET HOME
After spending nearly the entire month of September on the road, Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo on Tuesday night to take on rival Central Michigan. The Broncos won all three matches of their annual home tournament to open the season, extending their home winning streak to eight in a row, dating back to last season. WMU has been dominant at University Arena under
Colleen Munson, who owns a 184-63 (.745) record at home while at the helm of the Brown and Gold.
LAST TIME OUT
WMU is coming off of a pair of three-set losses at Ball State to open up Mid-American Conference play over the weekend.
Annalise Patchett and
Gabby Weihe paced the Western Michigan attack with 2.67 kills per set apiece, with Weihe posting a .395 hitting percentage for the weekend. On the defensive side,
Carley Piercefield collected a team-leading 3.83 digs per set against the Cardinals.
Central Michigan Chippewas (0-15, 0-2 MAC)
MOVIN' ALONG IN MAC PLAY
Central Michigan heads to Kalamazoo to take on the Western Michigan Broncos for the third match of conference play in the 2026 season. The Chippewas enter the mid-week looking to grab their first win of the season while the Broncos also look for their first MAC win, entering with an 8-5 (0-2) record.
LEADERS OF THE CHIPPEWAS
On the offensive side of the ball, Taylor Cripe has continued to be the force for CMU, staying on track from her freshman season in 2025. The sophomore enters the midweek game against WMU with a team leading 150 kills - the only Chippewa with triple-digit kills on the season. Cripe hit .133 in her freshman season, but tallied 270 kills with 782 attempts - leading the team in both categories. In 2026, Cripe has taken 33% of the swings for CMU this season (485/1461), also with 33% of the team's total kills (150/452). TC also leads the team at the service line with 10 aces. She has also tallied 113 digs to lead the team. Brytn Lyon has played the bulk of the sets as the setter for CMU, leading the team with 293 assists (6.23/set). Brenna Storz has led the charge at the net for CMU with 40 blocks (0.85/sets). Eight of those have been solo, 32 assisted. Lyon is second on the team with 17 block assists as the setter.
LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD IN MAC PLAY
Central Michigan enters week three of conference play still looking for its first win of the 2026 season, but the team started to take strides as non-conference play concluded. In Miami, Fla., CMU won a set over Jacksonville, the second set won of the season. Also on that trip, Brytn Lyon charted a double-double in the final game of the 305 Classic against Alabama A&M. Also at the tournament, Taylor Cripe led the offense with 28 kills (2.80/set), Lyon tallied 78 assists and the Chippewas record 18 blocks as a team (1.5/set) as Brenna Storz led the charge at the net with nine of her own. Cripe also led the team in digs with 21 while Audrey Hackney had three aces over the three game stretch.
For more MAC Volleyball news and notes throughout the season, visit
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