The Kent State volleyball team (4-16, 2-7 Mid-American Conference) traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to take on the Western Michigan Broncos (13-7, 6-3 MAC) Friday.

Kent State won the first set, but ultimately fell 1-3 (25-23, 17-25, 22-25, 22-25) to the Broncos.

“Tonight’s match was a tough one,” said junior outside hitter Lexi Mantas. “Western is a great team. We couldn’t stop their key players.”

Senior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger led with 14 kills, while senior opposite Heather Younkin followed behind her with 13. Senior defensive specialist and libero Challen Geraghty led the team with 18 digs for the night.

“We were right there,” coach Don Gromala said. “I think we did a nice job executing with our serve and with our pass. They just kept on scoring and scoring while we didn’t have anyone really producing at a high level.”

Mantas said as a team, they have to look forward and get ready for the next match.

Kent State will travel to Dekalb, Illinois, to take on Northern Illinois at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Taylor Sforzo is a sports reporter. Contact her at [email protected].