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Bowling Green State University
0-2
Creighton
2-0
Falcons Knock Off 13th-Ranked BYU At Stroh Center
August 31, 2013 | Volleyball
Box Score | Box Score vs. Creighton | Photo Gallery | Tomic Postgame Interview | Butterfield Postgame Interview
The Falcons fell behind in the match early, dropping the first two sets 25-20 and 25-22. Out of halftime, momentum would change, as the Falcons came out of the locker room with energy and confidence.
In the third set, BYU would take a timeout, after the Falcons jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead following a kill by Kelsey Bates. The Cougars would score eight of the next nine points to take a 13-11 lead. With the Falcons on their heels, the seniors would respond. Three straight points would come from a Danielle Tonyan kill, a service ace by Laura Avila, and a kill by Paige Penrod. With the match hanging in the balance, the Falcons used their second timeout of the set trailing 21-19.
The two teams would alternate kills, before a BYU service error brought the Falcons to within a point, at 22-21. The Falcons would roar back, getting four straight kills—two from Penrod, one from Tonyan, and the final one from Kaitlyn Skinner to win the set.
The Falcons would find themselves behind 7-3 early in the fourth set, but head coach Danijela Tomic would let her veteran-laden team play through the early deficit. The Falcons would respond to the trust of their second-year head coach, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to take a 13-9 lead. The Falcons would not trail the remainder of the set, eventually putting away the 25-21 win on a powerful swing by Tonyan.
With all the momentum on their side, the Falcons would attempt to put away the match, and they would do just that. The play at the net would be the story for the Orange and Brown in the fifth set, as they recorded seven kills and three blocks to turn away the 13th-ranked Cougars. The Falcons would force BYU into their first timeout of the fifth set, when a Penrod kill put BGSU ahead 5-1. BYU would burn their final timeout trailing 9-3 in the fifth.
The victory for the Falcons was the first of the season, and the program's first ever against a ranked opponent. The AVCA Poll began in 1982, and the Falcons have never beaten a team that appeared in the poll at the time of the Falcons' victory.
In the first match of the day, the Falcons lost a tough three-set match to 25th-ranked Creighton University. The match was tight throughout, as the visiting Blue Jays claimed the 25-23, 26-24, 27-25 victory. Paige Penrod had a career match, recording 21 kills while hitting .459 for the Falcons.
Three Falcons saw their first career action, with Allison Papenfuss, Madeline Garda, and Carlyn Stella all seeing the court.
The Falcons led early on in the first set, as senior Ashley Dunn put them ahead 4-2 with a service ace. From there, Creighton would score 8-of-11 points to take a 10-7 lead. The Falcons would get three straight kills—from Jelena Sunjic, Papenfuss, and Penrod—to tie the set at 10 points apiece. The Falcons would force the Blue Jays into a timeout after scoring their fourth straight point for an 11-10 lead.
The two teams would go back-and-forth over the next several points, with the Falcons eventually taking an 18-16 lead on the heels of a block by Sunjic and Alyssa Maloney. The Blue Jays would prove their worth after that, recording five consecutive kills to grab a 21-18 lead and force the Falcons into a timeout. CU found themselves ahead by four points, thanks to a service ace out of the timeout. However, the Falcons would respond. A Penrod kill and Creighton attack error would bring the Falcons to within two points, at 22-20. Sunjic would get another kill, thanks to a nice assist from her classmate Maloney. Penrod would deliver her fourth kill of the set to even it up at 22.
The teams would split the next two points, as Creighton's Leah McNary and Bowling Green's Penrod would each record a kill. CU would put away the set with two consecutive kills to claim a 25-23 win.
The Falcons jumped out to a 14-6 lead after scoring six straight points in the second set. Two Penrod kills, a kill by Danielle Tonyan, and two service aces by Laura Avila contributed to the six point run for the Falcons. From there, Creighton would chip away, scoring four straight points and forcing BGSU into a timeout. The Blue Jays would tie the set at 17 following two consecutive kills, but the Falcons would respond with three straight points for a 20-17 advantage. CU would score 6-of-7 to take a 23-21 lead, and they led 24-22 before consecutive kills by Tonyan and Penrod. Similar to the first set, Creighton would score the final two points, taking the second set by a final score of 26-24.
Creighton began the third set on a 7-1 run, but a dominant set by Penrod would help the Falcons stay in the match. Penrod recorded nine kills in the third set alone, while hitting .353. The Orange and Brown would get with a point, at 11-10, but the Blue Jays would separate themselves to take a 20-16 lead in the set. Kills by Sunjic and Penrod, followed by two errors for the Blue Jays, would even the set at 20. After a McNary kill for Creighton, the Falcons would once again score four straight to take a 24-21 lead. Two CU kills and two Falcon errors would give Creighton a 25-24 lead. But, the Falcons would show their resiliency once again, tying the match at 25. For the third straight set, the visitors would finish the set with two consecutive points, claiming the match with a 27-25 third-set win.
Following an outstanding tournament for Penrod, she was named to the all-tournament team. She recorded 50 kills in the tournament, an average of 4.17/set. Penrod was joined on the all-tournament team by Alexa Gray (BYU), Autumn Bailey (Marquette), Elizabeth Koberstein (Marquette), Kelli Browning (Creighton), Lauren Smith (Creighton), and tournament MVP Michelle Sicner (Creighton). Creighton, by virtue of having the best winning percentage, was awarded the tournament championship.
The Falcons return to action next weekend, when they travel to the Golden Dome Invitational at Notre Dame. There, the Falcons will play two games against NCAA teams, and an exhibition against Dabrowa from Poland. Both Notre Dame and Purdue appeared in the Preseason AVCA Poll.
