Falcons Return Home To Battle Ball State And Toledo

FALCONS RETURN HOME TO BATTLE BALL STATE AND TOLEDO
After winning four-consecutive matches on the road across the last two weekends, the Falcons finally return to the Stroh Center for a pair of MAC matches. Bowling Green will take on Ball State on Oct. 21, before staging a Battle of I-75 showdown on Oct. 22 with Toledo. Both matches are slated to begin at 5 p.m. The Falcons will enter the match on a five-game winning streak, and have only lost two sets over those five matches.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be broadcasting both matches this weekend. To access the links to the broadcasts, visit the volleyball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com. Additionally, both matches will have live stats, and the radio broadcasts will be linked up to a video stream. Links to live stats, and the video streams, can also be found at BGSUFalcons.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow BGSU Volleyball on Twitter at @BGSUVolleyball for in-match updates.

SCOUTING THE BALL STATE CARDINALS
Ball State has lost three of its last four matches, but still would have a spot in the MAC Tournament if the season ended today. The Cardinals have an overall record of 8-14, but BSU's 4-4 conference record has them ranked tied for sixth with Kent State. The Cardinals lost a pair of five-set matches at home last weekend to Kent State and Ohio. Ball State ranks sixth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.214), assists (11.85/set) and kills (12.62/set), while they rank third in digs (16.18/set). The Cardinals have a few players that rank highly as individuals, as Amber Seaman ranks fifth in the conference in assists (9.78/set) and Kate Avila ranks sixth in digs (4.12/set).

SCOUTING THE TOLEDO ROCKETS
The Rockets enter the weekend ranked second in the MAC West, and own a 5-3 conference record, which is identical to the conference mark that BGSU owns. Toledo has an overall record of 12-8. Defensively, the Rockets have been one of the better teams in the MAC, as they rank second in blocks (2.13/set) and fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.194). Last weekend, the Rockets knocked off Ohio in four sets and Kent State in five sets. Since coming to Bowling Green in 2012, head coach Danijela Tomic is 2-2 in the Battle of I-75. Tomic has earned wins over Toledo in 2012 and 2014, while the Rockets have won the matchup in 2013 and 2015.

DIG PINK
Saturday's match against Toledo will be the program's annual "Dig Pink" match. The BGSU Marketing and Promotions staff will be conducting a number of promotions in support of cancer awareness. Fans will be allowed to donate to the Wood County Cancer Center, and can pledge an amount per dig, or fans can pledge just a straight donation. Also, the first 250 fans will receive a pink bandana from the match sponsor -- Kroger. Finally, fans will also have the opportunity for post-match autographs, and if you have a ticket to the football game that Saturday, you will be admitted into the match for free.

BGSU BRINGS OUT THE BROOMS…AGAIN
Last weekend, the Falcons completed a 4-0 road swing by sweeping Eastern Michigan (Oct. 14) and Central Michigan (Oct. 15). The weekend prior, BGSU earned wins at Akron (Oct. 7) and Buffalo (Oct. 8). Not only did the Orange and Brown sweep both EMU and CMU, but the Falcons only allowed 20 points in one set. BGSU limited their opponents to below 16 points three times, and even held the Eagles to nine points in the final set of the Friday match. Bowling Green is now swept 10 different opponents, and have earned its last three victories via the sweep.

FALCONS FIND THEMSELVES IN SOLID POSITION HALFWAY THROUGH THE MAC SCHEDULE
Bowling Green has positioned itself nicely, through the first half of the conference schedule, to qualify for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2013. With the top eight schools making the tournament, which will be held in DeKalb, Illinois this season, BGSU currently sits tied for fourth with Toledo. In the win column, BGSU is three games ahead of both Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, four games ahead of Akron, and five games ahead of Buffalo. Furthermore, BGSU has beat all four of those teams, so the Falcons currently own the crucial tiebreaker, as well.

GARDA NAMED MAC EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR FOURTH TIME IN 2016
For the fourth time this season, Madeline Garda was named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week, as she played a key role in BGSU's two wins over the weekend at Eastern Michigan (Oct. 14) and Central Michigan (Oct. 15). The senior libero posted 41 digs on the weekend, and increased her nation-leading average by averaging 6.83 digs per set across the weekend. In the win at EMU, she notched 23 digs (7.67 digs/set), and also registered seven aces, which ranks second in school history, and was the most aces in a match for a BGSU Falcon since 1988. The next day, Garda recorded 18 digs (6.00 digs/set).

THE BEST LIBERO IN THE LAND
Madeline Garda leads all of Division I volleyball in digs per set (6.64) and total digs (485). Amazingly, for the second-straight week, she holds the lead in the digs per set category by over a full dig, as James Madison's Taylor Austin is averaging 5.59 digs per set. Garda currently has 1,459 career digs, which ranks fifth all-time in school history. The senior leads the country in total digs by 28 digs, even though the next closest competitor, Kaili Simmons of Western Illinois, has played 15 more sets than Garda. Below is the list of the top 5 liberos in the country, according to digs per set and total digs.

Digs Per Set
1. Madeline Garda (Bowling Green)   6.64
2. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   5.59
3. Challen Geraghty (Kent State)   5.50
4. Courtney Pence (Illinois State)   5.42
5. Lexus Cain (SFA)   5.38

Total Digs [Sets Played]
1. Madeline Garda (Bowling Green)   485 [73]
2. Kaili Simmons (Western Illinois)   457 [88]
3. Challen Geraghty (Kent State)   440 [80]
4. Channing Burleson (Northwestern State)   436 [89]
5. Morganne Longoria (Valparaiso)   434 [87]

NO. 10 WITH 10-PLUS KILLS IN 10 STRAIGHT MATCHES
Jelena Sunjic, a senior outside hitter from Metkovic, Croatia, leads the MAC in kills per set with a 4.40 average. She leads the category by over a full kill, as Kelsey Bittinger of Kent State is at 3.36. She also ranks fourth in conference in hitting percentage (.337). Sunjic has been remarkably consistent throughout the entire year, and has now registered at least 10 kills in 10-consecutive matches. Over the 10-match stretch, Sunjic has notched at least 15 kills a total of seven times, and has hit over .300 four times.

MARCINIAK MAKES AN IMPACT ON 4-0 ROAD TRIP
Freshman Isabelle Marciniak served as the Falcons' primary setter over Bowling Green's 4-0 road swing. The freshman has appeared in 12 games this season, and her last five appearances have all been on the road. This past weekend, Marciniak notched 35 assists at Central Michigan, and 31 assists at Eastern Michigan. The weekend prior, in wins at Akron and Buffalo, she picked up 46 assists and 41 assists, respectively. For the season, she has registered 312 assists, and is also hitting .324 with 16 kills.

NO STROH, NO PROBLEM
Bowling Green played its first six games at the Stroh Center in 2016, but the Falcons have played their best volleyball on the road this season. BGSU is 5-5 in Bowling Green, but the Orange and Brown are staggering 10-1 away from the Stroh Center, with the only loss coming to MAC-West leader Northern Illinois (Sept. 24). After picking up road wins at Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan this past weekend, the Falcons are 6-1 in true road matches. BGSU is 4-0 in neutral site matches. In those 11 matches away from the Stroh Center this season, BGSU has lost just eight sets.

BOWLING GREEN IS ALL ABOUT THAT #MACTION
The Falcons continue to lead a number of team-based statistical categories. BGSU leads the MAC as a team in hitting percentage (.265), assists (13.26/set), kills (14.14/set) and digs (16.88/set). BGSU also sits second in opponent hitting percentage (.178). Madeline Garda leads the nation and conference in digs per set at 6.64. Jelena Sunjic is tops in the MAC in kills at 4.40/set, while Isabel Kovacic ranks eighth (3.04). Sunjic also ranks fourth in hitting percentage at .337, while Alyssa Maloney is 10th at .307. Katie Scholten ranks second in assists per set (10.65).

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, LITERALLY
The Falcons entered conference play having won seven-straight matches, which was the program's longest winning streak since 2011. Bowling Green was playing about as perfect as you can possibly play, as BGSU, incredibly, entered the Miami (Sept. 22) match having won 13-conseuctive sets. Additionally, the Falcons had won their last four matches via the sweep. Since sets were played up to 25 points, which began in 2001, the Falcons have only won four-straight matches, with all four matches being sweeps, two other times (2006, 2011).

GARDA BREAKS PROGRAM'S SINGLE MATCH DIGS RECORD
Madeline Garda turned in the greatest week of libero play in BGSU volleyball history over Sept. 7-10. She totaled 118 digs, which averages out to be 6.94 digs/set and 29.5 digs/match. Her three matches at the EIU Panther Classic (Sept. 9-10) were nothing short of incredible. She started the week off with 37 digs versus Louisiana Tech, which was one dig shy of the program record. She then notched 33 digs in a win over Eastern Illinois, before breaking the school record with a 40-dig effort against Drake. The previous record holder was Chelsey Meek, who posted 38 digs in 2007 in a match against Eastern Michigan. Meek totaled her 38 digs in a five setter, while Garda broke the school record in a four-set match.

BOWLING GREEN COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN TOUR
The Falcons toured Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Italy spanning May 15-24. Coach Danijela Tomic was able to introduce her team to her family, as she is from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Jelena Sunjic and Isabel Kovacic hail from Croatia and had the exact same opportunity. BGSU was able to visit a number of beautiful and historic cities on the tour, including Sarajevo, Kraljeva Suteska and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Metkovic, Split, Zadar, Pag, Rovinj and Porec in Croatia; and Venice, Verona and Milan in Italy. The team was also able to gel on the court, playing a total of five matches.

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Madeline Garda

Isabel Kovacic

Alyssa Maloney

Isabelle Marciniak

Katie Scholten

Jelena Sunjic

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