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Friday, October 30
Buffalo, N.Y.
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
at
Buffalo
Falcons Begin Second Trip Through MAC East This Weekend
October 27, 2009 | Volleyball
Volleyball Weekly Notes (.pdf)
FALCONS LOOK TO AVENGE EARLY LOSSES
The Bowling Green volleyball team goes on the road this weekend to play MAC East opponents Buffalo and Akron this weekend. The Falcons will look to avenge home losses to both of those teams in late September. At that time, Bowling Green was in the midst of an 11-match losing streak but the Falcons have played better lately, splitting MAC matches in each of the past two weekends. The Falcons are just two games out of eighth place in the conference, meaning the team could get a home game in the opening round of the MAC Tournament with a strong late-season push.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Bowling Green is 18-2 all-time against Buffalo, including a 7-1 record on the road. But one of those losses came earlier this year when the Bulls pulled out a 25-19, 26-28, 25-15, 25-20 win. In that match, Buffalo hit .331 and outdug the Falcons 59-48. Shari Luther led BG with a career-high 17 kills and a .457 attack percentage. Against Akron, Bowling Green is 26-12 all-time and 13-5 on the road. The Zips found their way past the Orange and Brown 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 15-8 earlier this year as five Akron players had double-digit kills. Emily Kauth had 18 kills to lead BG.
THE OPPONENTS
Buffalo enters the weekend with a record of 14-9 overall and 5-5 in MAC play. The Bulls have not put together more than two wins or losses in a row in conference play. Buffalo has held opponents to a measly .189 attack percentage on the season and has done that by blocking well (2.05 per set) and serving well (1.28 aces per set). Lindsey Schlegel has been a big factor in that serving game, leading the MAC with 0.47 aces per set. Kristin Bignell's 1.10 blocks per set are second in the MAC and Tori Beckman's 4.64 digs per set, which rank second in the league, have also contributed to opponents struggling to hit the ball well. Head Coach Todd Kress has made an immediate impact on the volleyball program in his first season. The Bulls won just eight matches combined in the past two years and have not won more than 14 matches since 1997.
Akron comes into the weekend at 11-13 overall and 3-7 in MAC play, just one game ahead of Bowling Green. Like BG, the Zips have split matches in each of the past two weekends, taking home a pair of five-set victories. Akron ranks 11th in the conference with a .189 attack percentage and is last with 1.54 blocks per set. The Zips also averaged just 13.03 digs per set, 11th in the MAC. However, Brionna Patterson averages 4.07 kills per set (third in the conference) and had 24 against BG earlier this year. Head Coach Ron Arenz is in his second season at Akron and has equaled the program's win total from a season ago.
THE VICTORY MARCH
With nine wins in 2009, head coach Denise Van De Walle has compiled a career record of 496-338 in 27 years at Bowling Green, needing just four more to reach milestone win No. 500. Despite an earlier losing streak, the Falcons have racked up an impressive 81-41 overall record since 2006 and have won 20 or more matches in each of the last three campaigns. Van De Walle is one of the 30 active winningest coaches in NCAA Division I and her 496 wins are the most in Mid-American Conference history.
DEFENDING THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
In 2007 and 2008, Bowling Green went 22-3 in Anderson Arena and the Falcons held opponents to just a .198 attack percentage in 12 matches a year ago. But Bowling Green is just 2-8 in "The House That Roars" in 2009 and has allowed opponents to hit .268. The Falcons have just three home matches remaining and will finish with a losing record in Anderson Arena for the first time since 2002.
THE NEMESIS DOES IT AGAIN
Just as Lex Luthor was Superman's nemesis, Shari Luther has been a nemesis to opponents this year. Even if they aren't related (OK, we realize the last names aren't even spelled the same and Lex Luthor is fictional), Luther is causing headaches for opponents the way Luthor and his cryptonite must have caused for Superman. She received her second MAC East Offensive Player of the Week award Monday after posting 29 kills and nine blocks in two matches over the weekend. She received her first Player of the Week award after being named Most Valuable Player at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament, averaging 2.8 kills per set and a team-best .430 attack percentage on the weekend. She also had a team-high 13 blocks and served up three aces. On the year, she ranks second in the MAC in attack percentage at .383 (ranking 27th in the country) and leads the team in kills, blocks, and points.
ACTION JACKSON
Senior Kaitlin Jackson has been a versatile player throughout her career with the Falcons. In 2009, she has become an even more dynamic piece of the BGSU puzzle, recording the first six double-doubles of her career. She picked up the first two at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament and continued to produce in New Orleans, coming up one kill short of another double-double against Texas Tech. At the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic, she had 12 kills and 10 digs against Cleveland State for her third double-double of the season and then posted 10 kills and 15 digs against Akron. This past weekend, she totaled a combined 33 kills and 34 digs to rack up double-doubles in both matches against Eastern and Central Michigan. She ranks among the top three on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, serve percentage, digs, blocks, and points.
WHO'S THAT KID?
Freshman setter Allison Kearney is one member of a highly touted class at Bowling Green. In her first collegiate weekend, she lived up to the billing. Kearney averaged 11.5 assists per set, led the team with nine aces and added 2.5 digs per set. She has been named to all-tournament teams at both the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational and the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. On the year, she is averaging 10.23 assists per set (which ranks fourth in the MAC), ranks 10th in the league in aces at 0.29 per set and is third on the team at 2.40 digs per set. Two weekends ago, she set a new career high with 59 assists in a win over Eastern Michigan.
THE DOMEK SHOW
For Mid-American Conference opponents, it may seem like Corey Domek has been around forever. The senior left side hitter has received MAC postseason honors in each of her first three years with Falcons. She was named to the conference's all-freshman team in 2006 and has followed that up with back-to-back second team all-conference honors. She has already climbed nine spots this year to fourth place in BGSU history with 1,311 career kills. She needs 88 more this year to post 300 kills in four consecutive seasons and would be the first player in program history to do that.
KAUTH IS COMING ON
Sophomore Emily Kauth played in just five matches a year ago but she has taken on a much larger role in her second season with the Falcons. She exploded in New Orleans, tying for the team lead in kills at the tournament while hitting an impressive .411. Kauth added two aces (tying for the team high) and six blocks (second most on the team) in the three matches. She put together possibly the best match of her career in the team's four set win over Robert Morris at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, finishing with a career high 18 kills and hitting .500. She is currently tied for second on the team in kills, and second in attack percentage and blocks.
RISING TO THE TOP
Since 2006, the Bowling Green volleyball program has been one of the best and most consistent teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have the third-best overall record and fourth-best MAC record in the conference during that time frame. Here are the combined records for each MAC team since 2006:
Records through 10/24/09
Team Overall (Pct.) MAC (Pct.)
Ohio 95-24 (.798) 53-5 (.914)
Western Michigan 86-43 (.667) 42-16 (.724)
Bowling Green 81-41 (.664) 39-19 (.672)
Central Michigan 71-41 (.634) 35-23 (.603)
Miami 66-52 (.559) 41-17 (.707)
Northern Illinois 63-51 (.553) 36-22 (.621)
Kent State 59-57 (.509) 24-34 (.414)
Toledo 43-70 (.381) 17-41 (.293)
Buffalo 44-74 (.373) 11-47 (.190)
Eastern Michigan 45-76 (.372) 20-38 (.345)
Ball State 39-77 (.336) 21-37 (.362)
Akron 31-84 (.270) 10-48 (.172)
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Bowling Green coaching staff had a stellar offseason, putting together a recruiting class ranked among the best in the Mid-American Conference. In fact, PrepVolleyball.com named the freshman class as a high honorable mention group -- one of only two MAC classes to achieve that honor. The class made an impact already as setter Allison Kearney has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and ranks fourth in the MAC in assists and 10th in digs. Cassie Berning ranks in the top six on the team in kills, serve receive percentage, digs, and blocks, gaining valuable early season experience. Kari Galen has seen increased playing time lately and has ten kills and a respectable .250 attack percentage, third-best on the team.
HITTING THE BOOKS
Bowling Green has always stressed academics and Falcon volleyball has been a model of that philosophy. The 2008 BGSU volleyball team received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the ninth consecutive season, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. The Falcons have the second longest streak in all of NCAA Division I and has received the award 10 times overall.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Fans and media can keep up-to-date on the Bowling Green volleyball team at the official site of Bowling Green athletics, BGSUFalcons.com. Match recaps, previews, statistics, bios and much more can be found on the website.
FALCONS LOOK TO AVENGE EARLY LOSSES
The Bowling Green volleyball team goes on the road this weekend to play MAC East opponents Buffalo and Akron this weekend. The Falcons will look to avenge home losses to both of those teams in late September. At that time, Bowling Green was in the midst of an 11-match losing streak but the Falcons have played better lately, splitting MAC matches in each of the past two weekends. The Falcons are just two games out of eighth place in the conference, meaning the team could get a home game in the opening round of the MAC Tournament with a strong late-season push.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Bowling Green is 18-2 all-time against Buffalo, including a 7-1 record on the road. But one of those losses came earlier this year when the Bulls pulled out a 25-19, 26-28, 25-15, 25-20 win. In that match, Buffalo hit .331 and outdug the Falcons 59-48. Shari Luther led BG with a career-high 17 kills and a .457 attack percentage. Against Akron, Bowling Green is 26-12 all-time and 13-5 on the road. The Zips found their way past the Orange and Brown 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 15-8 earlier this year as five Akron players had double-digit kills. Emily Kauth had 18 kills to lead BG.
THE OPPONENTS
Buffalo enters the weekend with a record of 14-9 overall and 5-5 in MAC play. The Bulls have not put together more than two wins or losses in a row in conference play. Buffalo has held opponents to a measly .189 attack percentage on the season and has done that by blocking well (2.05 per set) and serving well (1.28 aces per set). Lindsey Schlegel has been a big factor in that serving game, leading the MAC with 0.47 aces per set. Kristin Bignell's 1.10 blocks per set are second in the MAC and Tori Beckman's 4.64 digs per set, which rank second in the league, have also contributed to opponents struggling to hit the ball well. Head Coach Todd Kress has made an immediate impact on the volleyball program in his first season. The Bulls won just eight matches combined in the past two years and have not won more than 14 matches since 1997.
Akron comes into the weekend at 11-13 overall and 3-7 in MAC play, just one game ahead of Bowling Green. Like BG, the Zips have split matches in each of the past two weekends, taking home a pair of five-set victories. Akron ranks 11th in the conference with a .189 attack percentage and is last with 1.54 blocks per set. The Zips also averaged just 13.03 digs per set, 11th in the MAC. However, Brionna Patterson averages 4.07 kills per set (third in the conference) and had 24 against BG earlier this year. Head Coach Ron Arenz is in his second season at Akron and has equaled the program's win total from a season ago.
THE VICTORY MARCH
With nine wins in 2009, head coach Denise Van De Walle has compiled a career record of 496-338 in 27 years at Bowling Green, needing just four more to reach milestone win No. 500. Despite an earlier losing streak, the Falcons have racked up an impressive 81-41 overall record since 2006 and have won 20 or more matches in each of the last three campaigns. Van De Walle is one of the 30 active winningest coaches in NCAA Division I and her 496 wins are the most in Mid-American Conference history.
DEFENDING THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
In 2007 and 2008, Bowling Green went 22-3 in Anderson Arena and the Falcons held opponents to just a .198 attack percentage in 12 matches a year ago. But Bowling Green is just 2-8 in "The House That Roars" in 2009 and has allowed opponents to hit .268. The Falcons have just three home matches remaining and will finish with a losing record in Anderson Arena for the first time since 2002.
THE NEMESIS DOES IT AGAIN
Just as Lex Luthor was Superman's nemesis, Shari Luther has been a nemesis to opponents this year. Even if they aren't related (OK, we realize the last names aren't even spelled the same and Lex Luthor is fictional), Luther is causing headaches for opponents the way Luthor and his cryptonite must have caused for Superman. She received her second MAC East Offensive Player of the Week award Monday after posting 29 kills and nine blocks in two matches over the weekend. She received her first Player of the Week award after being named Most Valuable Player at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament, averaging 2.8 kills per set and a team-best .430 attack percentage on the weekend. She also had a team-high 13 blocks and served up three aces. On the year, she ranks second in the MAC in attack percentage at .383 (ranking 27th in the country) and leads the team in kills, blocks, and points.
ACTION JACKSON
Senior Kaitlin Jackson has been a versatile player throughout her career with the Falcons. In 2009, she has become an even more dynamic piece of the BGSU puzzle, recording the first six double-doubles of her career. She picked up the first two at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament and continued to produce in New Orleans, coming up one kill short of another double-double against Texas Tech. At the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic, she had 12 kills and 10 digs against Cleveland State for her third double-double of the season and then posted 10 kills and 15 digs against Akron. This past weekend, she totaled a combined 33 kills and 34 digs to rack up double-doubles in both matches against Eastern and Central Michigan. She ranks among the top three on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, serve percentage, digs, blocks, and points.
WHO'S THAT KID?
Freshman setter Allison Kearney is one member of a highly touted class at Bowling Green. In her first collegiate weekend, she lived up to the billing. Kearney averaged 11.5 assists per set, led the team with nine aces and added 2.5 digs per set. She has been named to all-tournament teams at both the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational and the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. On the year, she is averaging 10.23 assists per set (which ranks fourth in the MAC), ranks 10th in the league in aces at 0.29 per set and is third on the team at 2.40 digs per set. Two weekends ago, she set a new career high with 59 assists in a win over Eastern Michigan.
THE DOMEK SHOW
For Mid-American Conference opponents, it may seem like Corey Domek has been around forever. The senior left side hitter has received MAC postseason honors in each of her first three years with Falcons. She was named to the conference's all-freshman team in 2006 and has followed that up with back-to-back second team all-conference honors. She has already climbed nine spots this year to fourth place in BGSU history with 1,311 career kills. She needs 88 more this year to post 300 kills in four consecutive seasons and would be the first player in program history to do that.
KAUTH IS COMING ON
Sophomore Emily Kauth played in just five matches a year ago but she has taken on a much larger role in her second season with the Falcons. She exploded in New Orleans, tying for the team lead in kills at the tournament while hitting an impressive .411. Kauth added two aces (tying for the team high) and six blocks (second most on the team) in the three matches. She put together possibly the best match of her career in the team's four set win over Robert Morris at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, finishing with a career high 18 kills and hitting .500. She is currently tied for second on the team in kills, and second in attack percentage and blocks.
RISING TO THE TOP
Since 2006, the Bowling Green volleyball program has been one of the best and most consistent teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have the third-best overall record and fourth-best MAC record in the conference during that time frame. Here are the combined records for each MAC team since 2006:
Records through 10/24/09
Team Overall (Pct.) MAC (Pct.)
Ohio 95-24 (.798) 53-5 (.914)
Western Michigan 86-43 (.667) 42-16 (.724)
Bowling Green 81-41 (.664) 39-19 (.672)
Central Michigan 71-41 (.634) 35-23 (.603)
Miami 66-52 (.559) 41-17 (.707)
Northern Illinois 63-51 (.553) 36-22 (.621)
Kent State 59-57 (.509) 24-34 (.414)
Toledo 43-70 (.381) 17-41 (.293)
Buffalo 44-74 (.373) 11-47 (.190)
Eastern Michigan 45-76 (.372) 20-38 (.345)
Ball State 39-77 (.336) 21-37 (.362)
Akron 31-84 (.270) 10-48 (.172)
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Bowling Green coaching staff had a stellar offseason, putting together a recruiting class ranked among the best in the Mid-American Conference. In fact, PrepVolleyball.com named the freshman class as a high honorable mention group -- one of only two MAC classes to achieve that honor. The class made an impact already as setter Allison Kearney has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and ranks fourth in the MAC in assists and 10th in digs. Cassie Berning ranks in the top six on the team in kills, serve receive percentage, digs, and blocks, gaining valuable early season experience. Kari Galen has seen increased playing time lately and has ten kills and a respectable .250 attack percentage, third-best on the team.
HITTING THE BOOKS
Bowling Green has always stressed academics and Falcon volleyball has been a model of that philosophy. The 2008 BGSU volleyball team received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the ninth consecutive season, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. The Falcons have the second longest streak in all of NCAA Division I and has received the award 10 times overall.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Fans and media can keep up-to-date on the Bowling Green volleyball team at the official site of Bowling Green athletics, BGSUFalcons.com. Match recaps, previews, statistics, bios and much more can be found on the website.
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