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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
12-13, 8-5MAC
Ohio (Parents Night)
21-4, 11-2MAC
Dunn Posts 31 Digs But Ohio Edges Falcons
November 08, 2013 | Volleyball
Bowling Green, Ohio – Bowling Green senior libero Ashley Dunn had a career-high 31 digs but the BGSU volleyball team lost to Mid-American Conference leader Ohio in five sets Friday night, 25-20, 21-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-11.
The Falcons outhit Ohio and had nine more digs, but the Bobcats came up with key points late in the fourth set, jumped out to an early lead in the fifth and held off a late charge from Bowling Green. Dunn's 31 digs was two more than her career-high and her third consecutive match with at least 23 digs as she sparked the team to 84 total digs. Laura Avila added 22 and Libby Dachenhaus had 10.
Bowling Green hit .229 for the match and held Ohio to .214 but the Bobcats posted 13 blocks and had six aces.
After Ohio won the opening set, Bowling Green bounced back to play strong volleyball over the next two sets. The Falcons forced Ohio to burn an early timeout in the second after taking a 6-2 lead and BGSU pushed the lead to as many as nine at 18-9 after a Danielle Tonyan kill. Ohio did rally to get within two at 22-20, but Jelena Sunjic had a big kill to stop the comeback and Lindsey Butterfield and Tonyan closed out the frame with back-to-back kills.
With the match all even, Ohio jumped out quickly in the third, taking a 6-3 lead as the Falcons were forced to use an early timeout. Still trailing 9-6, Bowling Green scored six in a row behind some sloppy play from Ohio and a Sunjic kill to flip the lead. The Bobcats never got closer than two points the rest of the way and the Falcons took the lead into the fourth set.
In the fourth, Bowling Green was the aggressor early, leading by as many as three points at 13-10 on a Tonyan kill. Ohio followed with a 5-1 run and neither team could build much momentum after that.
Ohio led 23-22 as Abby Gilleland and Alexis Pinson combined on a block but Tonyan posted a kill to tie the score. After Ohio went ahead 24-23, the Bobcats had a service error and Butterfield posted a kill to give the Falcons their lone match point. Ohio, though, got a big block and, with the score tied at 26-26, posted a kill and won the set on an attack error.
The Bobcats used that fourth-set momentum to take a quick 5-1 lead in the fifth and Bowling Green was fighting an uphill battle from there. Trailing 10-7, the Falcons made one last run, getting consecutive kills from Tonyan and Butterfield to get within one. But a service error was followed by a block and Ohio withstood the charge for the 15-11 victory.
Butterfield finished with a match-high 19 kills in her return from injury. She also had a match-high three aces and added six digs and three blocks. Sunjic had 18 kills and Tonyan followed with 16. Avila handed out 48 assists to go with her 22 digs and Kaitlyn Skinner posted five blocks along with six kills.
With the win, Ohio improves to 21-4 on the season and holds sole possession of first place in the MAC at 11-2. Bowling Green falls to 12-13 overall and is 8-5 in MAC play, currently sitting tied for fourth in the league standings (with Northern Illinois and Western Michigan) and second in the East Division. Combined with other results from around the league, BGSU did clinch a spot in the eight-team MAC Tournament held at SPIRE Institute Nov. 22-24 in Geneva, Ohio.
The Falcons will play their final home match of the year Saturday as the team hosts Kent State at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. BGSU will honor eight seniors immediately following the contest.
