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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
7-9 (4-1MAC)
Buffalo
14-4 (2-3MAC)
Falcons Fly Past Bulls In Five
October 11, 2013 | Volleyball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—Thrilling is the only word that could be used to describe Friday night's volleyball match between Bowling Green and Buffalo at the Stroh Center. The Falcons and Bulls played a back-and-forth affair all night, with the Orange and Brown pulling off the 23-21 win in the fifth set for the victory. With the triumph, the Falcons improve to 7-9 on the season and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference play. Buffalo drops to 14-4 and 2-3 in the MAC with the loss.
Buffalo entered the match as the nation's second-leading defensive team, averaging more than three blocks per set. The Falcons countered that by spreading the ball around all night, as four BGSU players recorded double-digit kills. Three Falcons recorded double-doubles: Erica Fullenkamp (41 assists, 17 digs), Paige Penrod (12 kills, 18 digs), and Lindsey Butterfield (21 kills, 14 digs). Four Falcons also chipped in defensively with double-digit digs, as the Falcons outdug the Bulls 88-81.
Bowling Green jumped out to a fast start on Friday night, as Buffalo would call their first timeout of the match early on, with the Falcons leading 12-7. Out of the timeout, the Bulls would respond, as they would go on an 8-3 run to even it up at 15 apiece, forcing the Falcons into a timeout of their own. The Falcons would take their second timeout trailing 23-22. The set would remain close, perhaps a sign of things to come later in the match. Out of the timeout, a Butterfield kill would tie it up. After a kill by UB's Liz Scott, the Falcons would score two straight, forcing set point at 25-24. Out of a timeout by Buffalo, the Bulls would get a kill by Tahleia Bishop. An ensuing Buffalo kill and Bowling Green attack error would give Buffalo the 27-25 win in the set.
The Falcons would play much better in the second set, outhitting Buffalo .452 to .229. The Orange and Brown would take a 5-4 lead early in the set and never look back, going on to a dominating 25-16 win.
Both teams looked like new teams out of the halftime break, as Buffalo outplayed the Falcons in the third set. BGSU hit just .043 in the set, en route to a 25-17 setback.
Trailing two sets to one, the Falcons would need to respond. The Orange and Brown would dominate, as they never trailed in the fourth set victory. The largest lead came at the end of the set, as the Falcons scored the final six points to claim a 25-14 win to force a fifth set.
Although the match entered the fifth set, it was really just getting started. Both teams would show that they belong at, or near the top, of the MAC standings in the set. Neither team would be able to pull away throughout, but the Falcons would use a timeout trailing 9-7 midway through the set.
Out of the timeout, the Orange and Brown would take over—or so it appeared. The Falcons would score seven of the next eight points out of the timeout, taking a 14-10 lead, giving them four serves for match point.
Buffalo wouldn't quit, as they would score two consecutive points to force the Falcons into their second timeout of the set, with Bowling Green clinging to a 14-12 lead. Unfortunately, the timeout wouldn't slow down UB, as they scored the next two—making it four straight—to extend the match at 14 all.
With both teams out of timeouts, the match would come down to which team could make the best point-to-point adjustments on the fly. Over the next 14 points—seven of which would be scored by each team—there would be six ties and six lead changes, as both teams had multiple match-point serves. With the final set tied at 21, the Falcons would get a side out, thanks to a Butterfield kill. Laura Avila would serve with the Orange and Brown leading 22-21 in the fifth set. Her serve would go over, a Buffalo's attack would go long, and the Falcons would pull out a 23-21 victory in the fifth set.
Following the thrilling win tonight, the Falcons will take momentum into Saturday night's match with Akron. The Falcons and Zips will square off at 7:00 p.m inside the Stroh Center. BGSU (7-9, 4-1 MAC) has won five out of six matches overall, moving into a tie for first place in the MAC standings. Akron (6-10, 0-5 MAC) comes to Bowling Green following a three-set loss at Miami on Friday night.
Danijela Tomic Postmatch Interview
