Falcons Face Wright State, Host Two Home Matches This Week

Bowling Green (13-1) at Wright State (2-12)
Sept. 27, 2 p.m.
All-Time Series History: BGSU leads 16-10 (Streak/Wright State 1 win)
Live Stats

Bowling Green (13-1, 1-1 MAC) vs. Akron (3-12, 0-2 MAC)
Sept. 30, 7 p.m.
All-Time Series History: BGSU leads 27-15 (Streak/Akron 4 wins)
Live Stats/Live Video/Live Audio

Bowling Green (13-1, 1-1 MAC) vs. Buffalo (8-7, 1-1 MAC)
Oct. 1, 3 p.m.
All-Time Series History: BGSU leads 21-2 (Streak/BGSU 3 wins)
Live Stats/Live Video

Bowling Green showed resiliency after its first loss of the year as the Falcons bounced back from a loss to Ohio Friday night to sweep past Kent State Saturday. At 13-1 overall, the team has equaled the 1990 team for the best record through 14 matches to start a season. That team opened the year at 16-1. This week, the Falcons will look to remain unbeaten in non-conference games as they travel to Wright State Tuesday night before attempting to move up the MAC standings with home games against Akron and Buffalo. Bowling Green is a perfect 3-0 in the Stroh Center this year.

FOLLOWING THE FALCONS
If you can't be in the arena with the Falcons, all of the team's matches this week 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). Bowling Green's two home games this week will also be available via video for a small fee at BGSUFalcons.com, courtesy of the America One Network. The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be carrying the radio broadcast of Friday night's contest against Akron and it can be heard via the Live Audio link on BGSUFalcons.com. Saturday's game will be televised on BCSN.

PULLING RANK
Following Bowling Green's 12-0 start, the Falcons found themselves receiving recognition nationally. Bowling Green earned six votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll which was released on Monday, Sept. 19. The Falcons were one of only two Mid-American Conference schools to earn votes in that poll as Northern Illinois had four votes.

THE OPPONENTS
Wright State has struggled to open the 2011 season and is just 2-12 overall and is also 1-2 in Horizon League action. The Raiders have lost three matches to Mid-American Conference teams, being swept by Toledo and Central Michigan, while losing in four to Miami. Wright State is hitting just .155 on the year and has struggled defensively at the net with just 47.5 team blocks on the season, ranking 312th out of 322 NCAA Division I programs. Without many threats at the net, opponents have been free to hit at a .296 clip on the year. Sophomore Heidi Splinter leads the team with 3.3 kills per set. Head coach Trina Smith is in her seventh season at the helm of the program.

Much like Wright State, Akron has stumbled out of the gate and is just 3-12 overall and 0-2 in MAC action, losing to both Buffalo (in five sets) and Ball State (in four sets) to open league play this past weekend. The Zips enter the weekend on an eight-match losing streak, but do have a dynamic senior middle in Tina Dimitrijevs. She ranks among the top 50 hitters in the country with a .367 attack percentage. However, she has not played in any of the team's last five matches. Head coach Ron Arenz is in his fourth year leading the program.

Buffalo is off to an 8-7 start and split league games during the opening weekend of MAC play, beating Akron in five sets before being swept by Toledo. The Bulls are an aggressive serving team, averaging 1.53 aces per set, which ranks among the best in the league. Six different players have at least 10 aces, led by sophomore libero Kelly Svoboda with 18. Sophomore setter Dani Reinert has been a consistent contributor for Buffalo, averaging 10.28 assists per set and ranking third on the team in digs. Todd Kress is in his third season leading the Bulls.

WINNING!
Bowling Green's 12-match win streak to start the year was the third-longest in program history and the longest to open a season, surpassing the 1990 team's 10-0 mark. The run trailed 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 (1991/1977)
10 (1992/1991/1990/1989)
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 four weeks of the 2011 season, Bowling Green 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.

YET A FOURTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Danielle Tonyan was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week for second time this year on Monday. She had 25 kills in two matches during the opening weekend of conference play.

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 .409. As well, Emily Kauth's .339 hitting percentage would rank seventh 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 (.275) and rank third in opponent's hitting percentage (.167). 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 3.65 per set and Penrod is seventh at 3.21. In points, Tonyan ranks fourth at 4.20 and Penrod is seventh at 3.81.

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 .409 attack percentage and Kauth is fourth at .339. 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 .275
Opponent Hitting Percentage – 3. Bowling Green .167
Assists/Set – 4. Bowling Green 12.75
Kills/Set – 3. Bowling Green 13.90
Blocks/Set – 2. Bowling Green 2.10
Aces/Set – 4. Bowling Green 1.48
Digs/Set – 12. Bowling Green 11.65

Individuals (Top 10 Rankings)
Hitting Percentage – 1. Kari Galen .409; 4. Emily Kauth .339; 9. Danielle Tonyan .314
Kills/Set – 4. Danielle Tonyan 3.65; 7. Paige Penrod 3.21
Aces/Set – T3. Paige Penrod 0.38; 6. Laura Avila 0.35
Blocks/Set – 2. Kari Galen 1.12
Digs/Set – 8. Ashley Dunn 3.58
Points/Set – 4. Danielle Tonyan 4.20; 7. Paige Penrod 3.81

Team (MAC Only)
Hitting Percentage – 10. Bowling Green .182
Opponent Hitting Percentage – 4. Bowling Green .181
Assists/Set – 4. Bowling Green 13.17
Kills/Set – 3. Bowling Green 14.17
Blocks/Set – 11. Bowling Green 1.58
Aces/Set – 2. Bowling Green 1.50
Digs/Set – 8. Bowling Green 14.00

Individuals (Top 10 Rankings) (MAC Only)
Hitting Percentage – 5. Danielle Tonyan .354
Kills/Set – T3. Danielle Tonyan 4.17
Aces/Set – T5. Ashley Dunn 0.50
Digs/Set – 5. Ashley Dunn 4.50
Points/Set – T3. Danielle Tonyan 4.33

AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
Bowling Green is one of only 15 teams in all of NCAA Division I (out of 322 teams) with one or no losses. The Falcons have been thriving by hitting the ball at a .275 clip, which ranks 12th in the country. Kari Galen is leading the way with a .409 attack percentage, which is 15th highest in the nation. Listed below are the team's national rankings:

Team (Out of 322)
Win/Loss Percentage – T9. Bowling Green, .929
Aces/Set – 66. Bowling Green, 1.48
Assists/Set – 48. Bowling Green, 12.75
Blocks/Set – 118. Bowling Green, 2.10
Digs/Set – 303. Bowling Green, 11.65
Hitting Percentage – 12. Bowling Green, .275
Kills/Set – 36. Bowling Green, 13.90

Individuals (Top 250 Ranked)
Aces/Set – 94. Paige Penrod, 0.38; 122. Laura Avila, 0.35
Blocks/Set – 90. Kari Galen, 1.12
Digs/Set – 241. Ashley Dunn, 3.58
Hitting Percentage – 15. Kari Galen, .409; 94. Emily Kauth, .339; 157. Danielle Tonyan, .314
Kills/Set – 102. Danielle Tonyan, 3.65; 194. Paige Penrod, 3.21

THE MAC IS TOUGH
In the first four weeks of the 2011 volleyball season, the Mid-American Conference made a strong showing against non-conference competition. 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 13-1, is the only one-loss team in the conference but there is a two-loss team (Ball State at 13-2) and two three-loss teams (Eastern Michigan at 13-3 and Western Michigan at 12-3). Nine of the 12 teams in the conference have a record above .500 and six teams have at least 11 wins.

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 13-1 start, she has a career record of 521-366 and has been named MAC Coach of the Year four times. The Falcons have posted a record of 238-203 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.

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