BGSU Continues MAC Schedule With Matches Against Miami And Western Michigan

BGSU CONTINUES MAC SCHEDULE WITH MATCHES AGAINST MIAMI AND WESTERN MICHIGAN
After salvaging a split last weekend by defeating Toledo at home, the Bowling Green State University volleyball team will travel to Miami (Oct. 27), and then host Western Michigan (Oct. 29) this weekend. The Falcons are one of the hottest teams in the country, having won six of their past seven matches. Across those seven matches, BGSU has lost just five sets. Bowling Green will enter the weekend with an overall record of 16-7 (6-4 MAC).

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. The Miami match will be featured on ESPN3, while the Western Michigan match will be streamed, as well. Links to live stats and both video feeds can also be found at BGSUFalcons.com. Furthermore, Fans are encouraged to follow BGSU Volleyball on Twitter at
@BGSUVolleyball for in-match updates.

SCOUTING THE MIAMI REDHAWKS
The Miami RedHawks are having one of the best seasons in the history of the conference. Miami is on a 17-match winning streak, and will enter Thursday's match with an 18-4 record. The RedHawks are a perfect 10-0 in Mid-American Conference play. Across Miami's 17-match winning streak, the RedHawks have won 12 matches via the sweep, and have only been forced to five sets twice. The RedHawks, who were picked to win the MAC Tournament, rank second in the conference in assists (12.36/set), kills (13.51/set), blocks (2.16/set) and digs (16.22/set). MU ranks third in hitting percentage (.255) and opponent hitting percentage (.192). Paige Hill ranks first in the MAC in blocks (1.16/set), while Maeve McDonald and Katie Tomasic sit fifth in digs (4.48/set) and hitting percentage (.323), respectively.

SCOUTING THE WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Western Michigan is coming off a tough weekend sweep at Kent State and Ohio, but the weekend prior, the Broncos defeated both Akron and Buffalo. Western Michigan is 8-15, and 3-7 in MAC play. With its 3-7 conference mark, the Broncos are fighting for their tournament lives. WMU is tied for 10th with both Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Broncos rank fifth in the conference in a number, including hitting percentage (.213), assists (12.00/set), kills (12.68/set),
blocks (1.91/set) and digs (15.22/set). A few Broncos rank very highly as individuals, as Mary Murphy sits second in assists (10.69/set), and Kathleen Reilly ranks fourth in digs (4.60/set).

TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THE STROH
For this Saturday's (Oct. 29) match in Bowling Green against Western Michigan, the Bowling Green State University volleyball team will be hosting its annual Trick-Or-Treat at the Stroh event. All kids 12-and-under in a Halloween costume will get into the match for free. BGSU student-athletes will be at several stations, and will pass out candy to all the kids. There will be a "Best Halloween Contest" that will take place after the second set. In addition, parking will be free for the event, and general admission tickets will be sold for $6.

FALCONS CLAIM BATTLE OF I-75 BRAGGING RIGHTS
After losing to the Rockets in 2015, the Falcons beat Toledo on Oct. 22 by a score of 3-1 (25-9; 22-25; 25-13; 25-15). Danijela Tomic, who is in her fifth year at the helm of the program, improved to 3-2 versus Toledo with the victory. The Falcons completely dominated the Rockets, as BGSU had more kills (54-36), assists (52-34), aces (12-2), digs (69-44) and blocks (11-10). The Orange and Brown held Toledo to a .000 hitting percentage in the first set and .112 for the match, while the Falcons hit .328. After holding UT to single-digit points in the first set, BGSU clinched the match by beating the Rockets by double digits in sets three and four.

SIX MAC WINS FOR THE FALCONS WITH SIX GAMES TO GO
With just six matches to go, Bowling Green is in solid position to qualify for the eight-team MAC Tournament, which will be staged in DeKalb, Illinois (Nov. 17-20). If the Falcons are able to do so, it would mark the first time since 2013 that BGSU appeared in the conference tournament. Bowling Green current sits alone in fourth place, with a one-match lead over 5-5 Kent State, Toledo and Ball State. Three schools have 3-7 records (Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan), while Buffalo is 2-8 and Akron is 1-9.

THE BEST LIBERO IN THE LAND
Madeline Garda leads all of Division I volleyball in digs per set (6.40) and total digs (512). Garda currently has 1,486 career digs, which ranks fourth all-time in school history. The senior leads the country in total digs by 17 digs, even though the next closest competitor, Morganne Longoria of Valparaiso, has played 18 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)   6.40
2. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   5.81
3. Challen Geraghty (Kent State)   5.48
4. Courtney Pence (Illinois State)   5.41
5. Lexus Cain (SFA)   5.39

Total Digs [Sets Played]
1. Madeline Garda (Bowling Green)   512 [80]
2. Morganne Longoria (Valparaiso)   495 [98]
3. Challen Geraghty (Kent State)   493 [90]
4. Arden Fisher (Robert Morris)   486 [92]
5. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   482 [83]

MARCINIAK REGISTERS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF FALCON CAREER
Freshman setter Isabelle Marciniak recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career in the Falcons' Battle of I-75 victory over Toledo on Oct. 22. The freshman stuffed the stat sheet. Marciniak recorded 43 assists (10.75 assists/set), 12 digs, four aces, three kills (hit .600), and two blocks. She also averaged a double-double across the weekend, which includes an Oct. 21 match versus Ball State. In the two matches, she averaged 34.5 assists and 10 digs per match.

NO. 10 CONTINUES TO RACK UP 10-PLUS KILL MATCHES
Jelena Sunjic, a senior outside hitter from Metkovic, Croatia, leads the MAC in kills per set with a 4.32 average. She also ranks fourth in conference in hitting percentage (.324). Sunjic has been remarkably consistent throughout the entire year, and has now registered at least 10 kills in 11 of Bowling Green's last 12 matches. Over the 10-match stretch, Sunjic has notched at least 15 kills a total of eight times, and has hit over .300 five times. In BGSU's last match, a four-set win over Toledo (Oct. 22), Sunjic picked up 19 kills for the fourth time in 2016. Sunjic hit .395 (19-4-38) for the match.

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 6-6 in Bowling Green, but the Orange and Brown are a 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 two weekends ago, 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 opponent percentage (.178), assists (13.11/set), kills (13.96/set), aces (1.58/set) and digs (16.85/set). BGSU also sits second in hitting percentage (.259). Madeline Garda leads the nation and conference in digs per set at 6.40. Jelena Sunjic is tops in the MAC in kills at 4.32/set, while Isabel Kovacic ranks ninth (2.97). Sunjic also ranks fourth in hitting percentage at .324, Katie Scholten ranks third in assists per set (10.65). Isabelle Marciniak sits sixth in assists (9.52).

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 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 last Monday (Oct. 17), as she played a key role in BGSU's two wins 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).

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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