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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Toledo
Falcon Volleyball Pounds Toledo, Advances to MAC Championship
November 18, 2006 | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University volleyball team is heading to the Mid-American Conference Championship after sending arch-rival Toledo home with a 3-0 sweep Saturday evening. The Falcons took a 30-22, 30-25, 30-27 decision in the semifinals.
BGSU will play the winner of the other semifinal match between #1 Ohio and #5 Western Michigan, the only two MAC squads the Falcons did not beat this season. That match is scheduled for 7:30 PM Saturday night, and the championship match will begin at 1:00 PM on Sunday (Nov. 19) at the Seagate Centre in Toledo, Ohio.
Sophomore Kendra Halm and Junior Corrie Mills flustered the Rocket attack right from the get go, teaming up for five blocks in the first game alone. The tandem combined for 11 blocks together with Halm recording another block for a totatl of 12 on the day. Halm's 12 blocks tied the school record for most blocks in a three-game match, mirroring Caty Rommeck's dozen blocks back in 2000. Halm and Mills made an amendent to the MAC record book as well, the previous high for blocks in a tournament match as 10. As a team, the Falcons out blocked the Rockets 14 to two.
Junior Stephanie Swiger was hot early, compiling six kills in the opening game. Halm and Mills set the tone defensively with five blocks a piece in game one. The score was close at 19-17 before a nine-point run by the Falcons pushed Bowling Green to a 30-22 win.
The Falcons stumbled out to a 6-15 deficit in game two before putting together one of their best runs of the season. After a Falcon timeout, BGSU seized 24 of the next 34 points, resulting in a 30-25 victory.
Despite dropping the first three points of game three following the game two meltdown, the Rockets did not go away easily. UT stormed back to take a 13-9 edge. BGSU responded, however, putting together another long streak of points as they have done so well all season. After the six-point run, Bowling Greeen led 15-13. The score then went back and forth the rest of the way until Senior Chrissy Gothke and Swiger combined for the Falcons' 14th block of the day, ending the match 30-27.
Bowling Green advances to the MAC Championship to take on the #1 Ohio Bobcats Sunday (Nov. 19) at 1 PM at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio. Live stats can be watched at mac-sports.com and the match will also be televised by Comcast Local.
Quotes From Head Coach Denise Van De Walle
"Toledo played us tough. They served the ball very aggressively and it challenged our passers tonight. We were not in system as much as we needed to be. Chrissy (Gothke) was not able to run the middle like we wanted because of how hard they came at us. We struggled tonight offensively. We needed a little more fire power. I really liked our composure tonight. We were down in the second game by at least 8-9 points and we never panicked. We just chipped away at the score and stayed focused. I liked that about us tonight."
"The biggest thing that stood out was the phenomenal blocking of Kendra (Halm) and (Corrie) Mills. They were a wall tonight. We blocked 14 balls which is big in a three-gamer."
"e're very excited to be in the Finals. We've accomplished and exceeded the goals we set down at the beginning of the season. We have one more to get and it's a big one, but I believe we can do it."
