Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Volleyball Weekly Release
October 28, 2002 | Volleyball
Oct. 28, 2002
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October 28, 2002
THIS WEEK
This week, the Falcon volleyball squad (2-8 MAC; 7-15 overall) will play three matches in four days. BG will see action Wednesday, October 30, at the University of Toledo, host Eastern Michigan on Friday, November 1, and then travel to Kent State on Saturday, October 2. The Orange and Brown have won two consecutive matches over Miami (Oct. 19) and, more recently, Central Michigan (Oct. 25).
Wednesday's match against the Rockets (2-7 MAC; 10-11 overall) will be the second meeting of the two teams this season. In the first matchup, Toledo defeated the Falcons in four games, 28-30, 26-30, 31-29, 20-30. Junior Susie Norris led BG with 14 kills and 23 digs while senior Kristin Gamby added 13 kills.
UT is currently on an eight-match losing streak going into this week's action with its most recent loss being to Western Michigan. Leading the Rockets are a pair of seniors in Heidi Neumeister and Jessica Buck. According to the most recent Mid-American Conference statistics, Buck is third in the league in hitting efficiency with a .314 average and is putting away 3.39 kills-per-game while Neumeister is averaging 3.44 kills-per-game. BG still leads the all-time series 39-11 despite the loss earlier in the season. The match will be played at UT's Savage Hall at 7:00 p.m.
Friday evening sees BG hosting Eastern Michigan at 7:00 p.m. at Anderson Arena. The Eagles are holding onto second place in the west division with a MAC record of 7-4 and an overall record of 19-5. EMU is leading the league in four separate team categories - hitting percentage (.241), assists-per-game (14.72), kills-per-game (16.73) and digs-per-game (20.40).
Individually, two juniors are leading Eastern to the top of the division. Middle blocker Katie Wagenmaker and outside hitter Jennifer Nighswander are averaging 3.20 and 3.54 kills-per-game, respectively. Wagenmaker is leading the MAC in hitting efficiency with a .359 while Nighswander is atop the league in digs-per-game with 4.59. Senior setter Camila Olaio is also tops in the MAC in assists-per-game (12.67) and service-aces-per-game (0.73). The Falcons lead the series with the Eagles 25-15.
For the final match of the week, BG will travel to Kent on Saturday to play the Golden Flashes at 7:00 p.m. KSU is currently 5-5 in the MAC and 12-10 overall for 2002. The Flashes are being led by freshman outside hitter Danielle Holt who is averaging 4.05 kills-per-game which is tops in the league. The Falcons lead the all-time series 36-12.
LAST WEEK
Having only one match last week allowed the Falcons some much needed rest. BG travelled to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on Friday, October 25, to take on the Chippewas. Bowling Green came out on top winning its second-consecutive match in three games, 30-22, 30-21, 30-21. The Falcons produced their best team offense of the year with a hitting efficiency of .404. Kristin Gamby led BG with 15 kills on 30 attempts for a .400 average. The senior tallied her 900th career kill during the match placing her 11th all-time for the Orange and Brown. Susie Norris notched 9 kills and a .320 hitting percentage while Laura Twyman and Bridget Protas each slammed down 8 kills apiece. Protas led both teams in the blocking department with four assists and one solo. The redshirt sophomore also tallied a career-high in the backcourt digging 13 balls. BG also out-blocked the Chips nine to one.
Flying high
After last weekend, several Flacon players notched career milestones. Senior Kristin Gamby tallied her 900th career kill while leading the Falcons offensively against Central Michigan. Redshirt junior Laura Twyman earned her 200th career block and hit for a career high .583 percentage with 8 kills on 12 attempts, one error. Bridget Protas also reached a personal best 13 digs in a match.
Van de walle wins 365th, 170th
Falcon head coach Denise Van De Walle earned her 365th career victory and her 170th Mid-American Conference victory with a win over Miami University on Saturday, October 19. The dean of MAC mentors is in her 20th season at the helm of the BG program and has compiled an overall record of 366-242 (.602).
Van De Walle became the first-ever coach to amass 350 career wins at a MAC school, reaching that plateau in the Falcons' Oct. 20, 2001 win over Marshall...the team's 21 wins last season enabled her to become the winningest coach in league history...Van De Walle's total of 171 MAC wins through last week's matches ranks her third all-time on that list.
FALCON STAFF
Jeff Belmonte (Aquinas '89) is in his first season with the Falcon program...Belmonte was named assistant coach in March of 2002...Sean Huiet is in his third season with the BG volleyball program, and his second as an assistant coach.
