Falcons Welcome Kent State, Ohio To Stroh Center

Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

FALCONS LOOK TO BREAK INTO MAC WIN COLUMN
Bowling Green closes out a four-match homestand this weekend this weekend as the Falcons welcome Kent State to the Stroh Center Friday at 5 pm and Ohio Saturday at 5 pm. Friday night's contest will be Camper Reunion Day and the match Saturday is the team's annual Dig For The Cure contest. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness and research and the first 1,000 fans will receive pink rally towels, courtesy of Kroger.

YOU CAN HELP FIND A CURE
During Saturday's Dig For the Cure match to support breast cancer awareness and research, fans will have the opportunity to visit the marketing kiosk and pledge their support. Fans can pledge to donate for each BGSU dig during Saturday's match.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Both matches during the weekend can be followed in a variety of ways. Live stats, audio and video will be available for Friday night's match at BGSUFalcons.com. Saturday's match is also available through those links and will also be televised live in Northwest Ohio by BCSN. Fans can also follow along on Twitter via @BGSUVolleyball.

ABOUT KENT STATE
Kent State enters the weekend at 10-7 on the season and 2-2 in conference play after winning just 12 matches a year ago with a 6-10 league mark. The Golden Flashes won both of their contests during the past weekend, defeating Akron in four sets and sweeping Buffalo. Kent State has been especially strong defensively, ranking first in the MAC in blocks and second in digs. Senior middle blocker Liz Reikow ranks 26th nationally with 81 total blocks, an average of 1.17 per set. Head coach Don Gromala is in his third season at Kent State with a career record of 28-47.

ABOUT OHIO
Ohio is 11-4 on the season and has built a two-game lead in the MAC East standings at 4-0 in league play. As the defending MAC champions, the Bobcats are positioned to compete for a league championship again this year. Ohio has dropped just two sets during a current five-match win streak. Senior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti is second in the conference in kills and points per set. First-year head coach Deane Webb owned a career Division I record of 235-167 and an overall career record of 369-218 entering the season.

LAST WEEKEND
BGSU opened strong in both home league matches over the past weekend, but the Falcons were unable to pick up victories. Bowling Green earned the opening set victory in both contests but lost to Miami Thursday in four sets and lost to Western Michigan in five Saturday. Sophomore libero Madeline Garda had a career-high 29 digs in Saturday's defeat and freshman Nicole Slimko combined for 38 kills in the two contests.

IN HER WORDS
"It's nice to have a full week of practice. Our offense needs to get a little bit better in making better choices. Our defense and serve receive is getting better. We have the hitters who can put the ball down. It's just a matter of getting more confident and making the right choices at the right time."
-- BGSU Volleyball Coach Danijela Tomic

HOUSE OF HORRORS
Since the Stroh Center opened to begin the 2011-12 academic year, BGSU's athletic teams have boasted a strong home court advantage, but no team has struggled inside the facility like Kent State. The Golden Flashes are 0-10 all-time in contests held in the Stroh Center in volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball. BGSU is 4-0 in women's basketball against Kent State and 3-0 each in volleyball and men's basketball.

HOME COOKING
BGSU went 16-5 combined in the Stroh Center in 2012 and 2013 and has finished each of the team's three seasons in the facility with a winning record at home. The Falcons are 0-5 this year in the Stroh Center after opening the season with three losses in the Hampton Inn Invitational and then losing twice this past weekend.

BLOCK PARTY
Kelsey Bates and Alyssa Maloney have anchored a strong defensive unit at the net this year. Bates ranks fourth in the MAC with 1.13 blocks per set and Alyssa Maloney is averaging 0.86 blocks per set. In total, five Falcons have at least 22 blocks on the season and BGSU ranks fifth in the MAC as a team with 2.23 blocks per set.

FIVE-SETTERS
Bowling Green is 3-3 in five-set matches this year and has gone 16-8 in three years under head coach Danijela Tomic in matches that have gone the distance. In fact, the Falcons have traditionally played well in five setters, posted a record of .500 or better in all but one season since 2005 with a winning percentage of .672 (45-22) since that time. Both the 2008 and 2012 teams went 9-1 in five-setters on the season.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
In just one year, the Bowling Green volleyball team went from being one of the most experienced programs in the country to one of the least. Eleven of the team's 13 players are either freshmen or sophomores and seniors Erica Fullenkamp and Kelsey Bates are the only remnants from a squad that won the MAC Championship just two years ago.

ACING THE COMPETITION
BGSU has recorded at least 1.0 ace/set in every conference match this year. In fact, the Falcons had 13 aces over the past weekend (nine total sets) and rank second in the league in that statistic in league matches only. Nicole Slimko and Erica Fullenkamp have each averaged 0.40 aces per set in conference matches, tied for second in the league.

FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Freshman outside hitter Nicole Slimko posted 31 kills in the team's five set victory over Wright State on Sept. 6, the most for a BGSU player since Oct. 8, 1999. That total has just been a precursor for conference action. Slimko's 59 kills in four league matches are the most in the MAC East Division this year and she ranks third in the conference in kills per set in leage play.

MARATHON MATCH
Bowling Green and Wichita State combined to set a pair of NCAA records in their match at the Bluejay Invitational. Wichita State's 127 points were the most ever for a match in the 25-point era (since 2008) and Bowling Green's 124 points were the most for a losing team in the 25-point era. In fact, BGSU's 35-33 fourth-set win was the program's highest scoring set in the same 25-point era.

GETTING TO .200
Bowling Green is 3-0 this year when hitting at least .200 and 0-13 when attacking below that number.

CHAMPIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
BGSU Volleyball has been recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for 14 consecutive years for posting a team cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher. The string is the second-longest in the country among NCAA Division I institutions.

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Kelsey Bates

Erica Fullenkamp

Madeline Garda

Alyssa Maloney

Nicole Slimko

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