Undefeated Falcons Open MAC Play This Weekend

#RV Bowling Green (12-0, 0-0 MAC) at Ohio (8-6, 0-0 MAC)
Sept. 23, 7 p.m.
All-Time Series History: BGSU leads 41-26 (Streak/Ohio 5 wins)
Live Stats

#RV Bowling Green (12-0, 0-0 MAC) at Kent State (7-8, 0-0 MAC)
Sept. 24, 7 p.m.
All-Time Series History: BGSU leads 43-21 (Streak/Kent State 2 wins)
Live Stats/Live Video

Bowling Green heads into Mid-American Conference play this weekend as the biggest surprise in the league, opening the year 12-0 after winning just eight matches a year ago. The Falcons' 12-0 start is the best in program history and the 12-match winning streak is the third-longest as well. The Falcons won all four of their pre-conference tournaments, but have a large task ahead of them as the team faces MAC East preseason favorite Ohio in the opener Friday night. Bowling Green will then play Kent State Saturday, a team that beat the Falcons twice a year ago. The team's 12 non-conference wins are the most since the 1991 team also won 12 out-of-conference matches, but the Falcons must now attempt to transition that non-conference momentum into MAC success.

FOLLOWING THE FALCONS
If you can't be on the road with the Falcons, both of the team's matches can be followed via live stats. Follow the links at BGSUFalcons.com at game time. Fans can also follow along on twitter through the official twitter page of BGSU Athletics (@BGAthletics) and/or via volleyball SID Jason Knavel (@jknavel).

PULLING RANK
Following the team's 12-0 start, Bowling Green finds itself getting recognition nationally. The Falcons earned six votes in the most recent AVCA Top 25 poll. Bowling Green is one of only two Mid-American Conference schools to earn votes and the other, Northern Illinois, garnered just four votes in the most recent poll.

THE OPPONENTS
Although Ohio enters the first weekend of Mid-American Conference play with a record of just 8-6 overall, the Bobcats are one of the MAC powers and the preseason favorite to win the East Division. In fact, Ohio played a murderer's row non-conference schedule, facing eight opponents from automatic qualifying BCS conferences. The Bobcats have used a balanced offense so far with four players posting at least 100 kills on the season. However, Ohio has hit just .155 on the year and has allowed 13 more aces than the team has earned. The Bobcats' strength has come defensively at the net where 6-foot-3 senior Katie Post averages 1.51 blocks per set as Ohio is recording 2.75 blocks per set.

Kent State enters the first weekend of MAC play with a record of 7-8 overall and the Golden Flashes have been swept in back-to-back matches against IPFW and Delaware. Kent State has faced three common opponents with Bowling Green, defeating SIU-Edwardsville and Canisius in five sets along with a three-set win over Stony Brook. The Falcons dropped just one set to those three opponents. Much like Ohio, Kent State's strength comes in the blocking game where the Golden Flashes have 32.5 more blocks than their opponents. Kathy Krupa, a 6-foot-2 junior middle, leads the team with 1.00 block per set and she also leads the team with a .323 attack percentage. Maigan Larsen, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter, has been racking up kills, posting 3.67 per set.

WINNING!
Bowling Green's current 12-match win streak is the longest in program history to start a season, surpassing the 1990 team's 10-0 mark to open the year. In fact, the 12-match win streak is the third longest in program history. The run trails only a 17-match string in 2006 and a 16-match unbeaten stretch in 2007.

Win Streak (Year)
17 (2006)
16 (2007)
12 (2011)
11 (1991)
11 (1977)
10 (1992)
10 (1991)
10 (1990)
10 (1989)
9 (1987)

OPENING STROH
The opening match in the Stroh Center is one that will go down as one of the great moments in Bowling Green volleyball history. Not only did the Falcons stun Michigan State in four sets, but a record crowd of 2,961 fans watched that match. Spurred on by that total, Bowling Green's average home attendance of 1,111 ranks as the second-best in the Mid-American Conference this year. The 2,961 attendance is the single-match high for any game featuring a MAC team this year, home or away.

FOUR OF A KIND
In the first three weeks of the 2011 season, Bowling Green has won four tournament trophies. The Falcons went 2-0 at the hurricane-shortened Kristen Dickmann Invitational, hosted by Navy, to earn the tournament championship. The team then went to Tampa, Fla., and won the USF Volleyball Invitational with a record of 4-0. Finally playing at home, the Falcons went 3-0 in the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. Bowling Green closed out the pre-conference tournament slate with a 3-0 mark at the Bucknell Invitational for a fourth tournament championship. It is the first time in program history that the team has won four regular season tournaments in one year.

M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P
In all three tournaments to open the year, a Bowling Green player earned tournament MVP honors. In the fourth, a tournament MVP was not officially named. Danielle Tonyan earned the award at the Navy Invitational after posting 16 kills with a .536 attack percentage in a three-set sweep of Air Force and adding 11 kills, three aces, and two blocks in a sweep of Navy. Kari Galen was then named MVP of the USF Volleyball Invitational after posting 26 blocks in four matches, including a career-high 10 against Eastern Kentucky. She also had 29 kills and hit at a .386 clip. Paige Penrod followed up those performances with an MVP weekend in the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. She had at least 16 kills in all three matches and a total of 54. She averaged 4.91 kills per set, 2.36 digs and serve received at a .972 rate. In the final tournament of the year, Galen again dominated, hitting a remarkable .676 with just one attack error in three matches.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Along with the tournament MVP awards, the Falcons have raked in all-tournament trophies as well. Emily Kauth earned the award in each of the team's first three tournaments. Along with being MVP of the Navy Invitational, Danielle Tonyan was named all-tournament at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. Kari Galen also earned two all-tournament awards, earning MVP honors in the USF Volleyball Invitational and all-tournament honors in the Bucknell Invite. Ashley Dunn, Paige Penrod, and Laura Avila each earned all-tournament honors once this year.

FROM MVP TO PLAYER OF THE WEEK
All three Falcons who earned tournament MVP honors followed that up with Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors as well. Danielle Tonyan and Paige Penrod were named MAC East Offensive Players of the Week and Kari Galen earned the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week award.

ONLY THREE OF THE CURRENT PLAYERS WERE EVEN BORN THEN
It's was 21 years since the BGSU volleyball team had opened a season with a 10-0 record. In 1990, the Falcons went 10-0 before eventually losing to Michigan State. On the way to this year's 12-0 start, the Falcons defeated Michigan State for their seventh win of the year, posting a four-set victory over the Spartans in the first athletic event ever held in the Stroh Center.

PACE LAP
It's early in the year, but the Falcon middles are on pace to post some impressive hitting stats. At her current pace, Kari Galen would set the school record for single-season attack percentage at .454. As well, Emily Kauth's .355 hitting percentage would rank sixth all-time.

A SIMPLE FORMULA
If a team can hit better than its opponent, in most cases that team is more likely to win. For Bowling Green, that's proving to be true in the early-going. The Falcons lead the MAC in hitting percentage (.291) and rank third in opponent's hitting percentage (.164). Those numbers stand in stark contrast to a year ago when Bowling Green ranked dead last in the 12-team MAC in hitting percentage and 11th in opponent's hitting percentage.

THE DYNAMIC DUO
Bowling Green has one of the most talented attacking duos in the Mid-American Conference in sophomores Paige Penrod and Danielle Tonyan. The pair is the only set of teammates in the MAC to both rank in the top 10 in the league in both kills and points. Tonyan is fourth in kills at 3.57 per set and Penrod is fifth at 3.33. In points, Tonyan ranks fourth at 4.18 and Penrod is sixth at 3.99.

THE DYNAMIC DUO, PART TWO
While Paige Penrod and Danielle Tonyan crush the ball on the outside, teammates Emily Kauth and Kari Galen hit with precision from the middle. Galen leads the MAC with a .454 attack percentage and Kauth is fourth at .355. No other set of teammates in the league are hitting at such a high percentage.

COMPARING THE MAC
Here are Bowling Green's rankings in the MAC as a team and as individuals:

Team
Hitting Percentage – 1. Bowling Green .291
Opponent Hitting Percentage – 3. Bowling Green .164
Assists/Set – 3. Bowling Green 12.69
Kills/Set – 3. Bowling Green 13.86
Blocks/Set – 2. Bowling Green 2.18
Aces/Set – 4. Bowling Green 1.48
Digs/Set – 12. Bowling Green 11.31

Individuals (Top 10 Rankings)
Hitting Percentage – 1. Kari Galen .454; 4. Emily Kauth .355
Kills/Set – 4. Danielle Tonyan 3.57; 5. Paige Penrod 3.33
Aces/Set – 4. Paige Penrod 0.40; T7. Laura Avila 0.36
Blocks/Set – 3. Kari Galen 1.16
Digs/Set – 9. Ashley Dunn 3.45
Points/Set – 4. Danielle Tonyan 4.18; 6. Paige Penrod 3.99

AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
Bowling Green is one of only eight teams left in all of NCAA Division I (out of 322 teams) to remain undefeated. The Falcons have been thriving by hitting the ball at a .291 clip, which ranks eighth in the country. Kari Galen is leading the way with a .454 attack percentage, which is a remarkable third-highest in the nation. Listed below are the team's national rankings:

Team (Out of 322)
Win/Loss Percentage – T1. Bowling Green, 1.000
Aces/Set – 73. Bowling Green, 1.48
Assists/Set – 49. Bowling Green, 12.69
Blocks/Set – 94. Bowling Green, 2.18
Digs/Set – 306. Bowling Green, 11.31
Hitting Percentage – 8. Bowling Green, .291
Kills/Set – 39. Bowling Green, 13.86

Individuals (Top 250 Ranked)
Aces/Set – 81. Paige Penrod, 0.40; 144. Laura Avila, 0.36
Assists/Set – 244. Laura Avila, 6.9
Blocks/Set – 72. Kari Galen, 1.16
Hitting Percentage – 3. Kari Galen, .454; 76. Emily Kauth, .355; 190. Danielle Tonyan, .308
Kills/Set – 111. Danielle Tonyan, 3.57; 160. Paige Penrod, 3.33

THE MAC IS TOUGH
In the first four weeks of the 2011 volleyball season, the Mid-American Conference has made a strong showing. The conference went 25-12 in week one, 27-13 in week two, 25-16 in week three, and 25-15 in week four. Bowling Green, at 12-0, is the only undefeated team left in the conference but there are two other teams (Eastern Michigan at 12-2 and Ball State at 11-2) with just two losses and two more (Northern Illinois at 11-3 and Western Michigan at 10-3) with only three losses. Nine of the 12 teams in the conference have a record above .500.

FIVE-SET SPECIALISTS
In recent history, Bowling Green has thrived in five-set matches, posting a .500 record or better in such contests every year since 2005. Overall, the team is 28-10 in such matches since 2005 and, even more impressively, 24-6 in the past five years. This year, the Falcons are 2-0 in five-setters, beating Eastern Kentucky and Maryland Eastern Shore in such matches. In fact, Bowling Green needed to win both the fourth and fifth sets in both of those matches.

Bowling Green's Record In Five-Set Matches Since 2005
2011: 2-0
2010: 2-2
2009: 6-2
2008: 9-1
2007: 5-1
2006: 2-2
2005: 2-2

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Three active players have recorded at least one double-double in their career (posting at least 10 kills, digs, assists, blocks, or aces in a match in two of those categories). With three this year, Paige Penrod has a team-high 13 career double-doubles, followed by Laura Avila with five and Ashley Dunn with one.

Double-Doubles This Year
9/2/11 vs. Eastern Kentucky – Paige Penrod 10 kills, 10 digs
9/3/11 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore – Paige Penrod 17 kills, 11 digs
9/10/11 vs. SIU-Edwardsville – Paige Penrod 19 kills, 10 digs

20 KILLS OR 20 DIGS
Paige Penrod enters the season with three career matches with at least 20 kills (and a career-high 25 against Buffalo on Oct. 29, 2010), while Danielle Tonyan has added two career 20-kill matches, including a season-high 22 in the win over Michigan State. Ashley Dunn posted seven 20-dig matches a year ago and posted her eighth with 21 in a four-set win over SIU-Edwardsville.

20 Kills This Year
9/9/11 vs. Michigan State – Danielle Tonyan, 22

20 Digs This Year
9/10/11 vs. SIU-Edwardsville – Ashley Dunn, 21

VAN DE WALLE GOING OUT ON TOP
Last spring, Bowling Green head coach Denise Van De Walle announced that the 2011 season would be her last before she retires. With this year's 12-0 start, she has a career record of 520-365 and has been named MAC Coach of the Year four times. The Falcons have posted a record of 237-202 in conference action over the course of her career.

PENROD NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAC
Sophomore outside hitter Paige Penrod was picked as a Preseason All-MAC East Division player by vote of the league coaches. Penrod joined Akron's Tina Dimitrijevs, Buffalo's Abby Niekamp, Miami's Cassie Farrell, and Ohio's Katie Post and Lexie Hartnett on the team.

FALCONS PICKED FIFTH
Bowling Green was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference East Division in the preseason poll by vote of the league's coaches. Ohio was selected to win the East, followed by Miami, Akron, Buffalo, BGSU, and Kent State. In the West, Northern Illinois was picked to win, followed by Ball State, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Toledo.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Senior defensive specialist Madison Nitta represented the United States on the US Deaf Volleyball Team during the past summer. Nitta, who has profound hearing loss, was a key player as the United States won the 2011 Friendship Games in Washington, D.C. The USA defeated the Ukraine twice along the way to the championship, the first time in more than six years that the Ukraine had been defeated in international play.

THE NEW HOME
The volleyball and basketball teams will move into the Stroh Center this year, a brand new arena on the campus of BGSU. The Falcon volleyball team has made the arena into a fantastic home court advantage, starting 3-0 in the Stroh Center, including a win over Michigan State.

HITTING THE BOOKS
Bowling Green has always stressed academics and Falcon volleyball has been a model of that philosophy. The 2010 BGSU volleyball team received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the 11th 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 12 times overall.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Undefeated Falcons Open MAC Play This Weekend

Next Event

Related Videos