Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
1-04-9; MAC
Miami
0-18-5; MAC
Falcons Begin MAC Play With Thrilling Five Set Win
September 26, 2013 | Volleyball
BGSU overcomes early 2-0 deficit to defeat RedHawks in five
OXFORD, Ohio—The Bowling Green State University volleyball team began Mid-American Conference play with a win at Miami on Thursday night, overcoming a 2-0 deficit for the improbable five-set win. After dropping the first two sets 25-19 and 26-24, the Falcons would head into halftime to regroup. Momentum would shift out of the break, as the Orange and Brown would win the final three sets, 26-24, 25-22, 18-16. The Falcons are now 4-8 on the season, and 1-0 in the MAC.
Lindsey Butterfield led the way for Bowling Green with 25 kills, as she had a .295 attacking percentage in the match. Fellow senior Paige Penrod also contributed 18 kills in 52 attempts for the Falcons. With her 52 attack attempts, Penrod surpasses Carlyn Esslinger as the career leader for attack attempts at Bowling Green State University. Butterfield also added 18 digs in the match, registering her second double-double of the season.
Miami, who has now lost four consecutive matches following an 8-1 start to their season, controlled play in the first set. But, the Falcons bounced back in the second set, outplaying the RedHawks for the majority of the set. A key Miami timeout late in the second set proved to be the difference, as the RedHawks were able to stop the Falcons' momentum with the Orange and Brown up 24-23 in the set. Out of the timeout, MU would score three straight, claiming the 26-24 win in the second set.
The two teams would play another back-and-forth set in the third, as neither team led by more than four in the set. A balanced Falcon attack would be the difference, as six different players recorded at least one kill in the set. Late in the set, Bowling Green found themselves well on their way to keeping the match alive, as the Falcons led 20-16. But, Miami would score five straight points to regain the lead. With the Falcons on their heels, they turned to the senior class, as Kaitlyn Skinner and Butterfield would each record a kill to keep the match within reach. With the set tied at 24 apiece, junior setter Erica Fullenkamp would setup Butterfield for the kill and a 25-24 lead. A Miami attack error would ensue on the next point, and the Falcons would stay alive with a 26-24 win.
Seniors would once again be the story in the fourth set, as the trio of Penrod, Butterfield, and Danielle Tonyan would record a combined 14 kills in the set, as the Falcons won 25-22. The RedHawks would force the Falcons into an early timeout, as Miami jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth set. The Orange and Brown wouldn't lay down, coming back to tie the set at nine points apiece. Neither team would lead by more than two points the rest of the way, until the final point of the set. With MU leading 20-18 late in the set, the Falcons would call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Butterfield would record a kill, and Penrod would record two, as the RedHawks would have to use a timeout with the Falcons leading 22-20. The Falcons would not allow Miami back into a tie the rest of the set, as the RedHawks would take their second timeout trailing 24-22. Out of the timeout, Penrod's swing found the ground to even the match at two sets apiece.
Butterfield was the story in the fifth set, as her seven kills led the way for the Falcons. The Orange and Brown jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead, as all the momentum was on their side at Millett Hall. Miami would take a timeout, in an attempt to stop the Falcons' momentum. The RedHawks would score four straight, as an MU kill was followed by three straight Falcon errors. The Orange and Brown would use their first timeout of the set, as they found themselves trailing 5-4 after the Miami run. Miami would break an 8-8 deadlock with two straight points, as the Falcons once again had their backs against the wall in the fifth set, trailing 10-8. The Falcons would score three straight points to take an 11-10 lead, with the last point coming on a Kelsey Bates kill. The two teams would exchange mini 2-0 runs, as Miami would take a 12-11 lead before the Falcons would regain the lead, 13-12. Following a Miami timeout, the RedHawks would retake the lead with two straight points, 14-13. The two teams would alternate three errors and three kills in the next six points, as the Falcons would stave off three match points in the decisive set. A Miami attack error would break a 16-16 tie, and Butterfield's 25th kill of the night to give the Falcons the 18-16 win. The thrilling victory in the fifth set capped the come-from-behind victory.
A number of Falcons set career- or season-highs on Thursday night. Butterfield's 25 kills were a career-high, as she surpassed her previous high of 22 set on September 14 in a five-set loss to Kansas. Fullenkamp's 59 assists tied her career high, also set on September 14 in the loss to KU. Libby Dachenhaus set her season high with 17 digs in the match, and libero Ashley Dunn tied a season high with four assists. Kaitlyn Skinner's eight kills and nine blocks were both season highs, falling just one shy of career highs in both statistical categories. Freshman Alyssa Maloney's four kills also tied her season and career high.
The Falcons now turn their attention to Saturday night, when they host the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Huskies enter Saturday with a 1-0 record in the MAC, as they also won in five sets on Thursday night, winning at Western Michigan. Saturday night will be a rematch of last season's MAC Championship match, a thrilling five-setter which the Falcons overcame an early 2-0 deficit. The match will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports and ESPN3. Fans are encouraged to come out to the Stroh and support the Falcons, as BGSU Athletics tries to "Overflow The Stroh." Fans can receive a free volleyball ticket to Saturday night's match by showing their football ticket from that afternoon's game vs. Akron. Youth can also redeem a $2 voucher when they present the flyer from BGSU Athletics at the ticket office. That match, between the Falcons (4-8, 1-0 MAC) and the Huskies (9-6, 1-0 MAC) is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.
