Falcons Begin Quest For MAC Championship On Friday

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL (20-9; 10-6 MAC)
at
2016 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament

Nov. 17-20 | DeKalb, Ill. | MAC Tournament
Game Notes: Bowling Green
Audio: BGRSO
2016 MAC Volleyball Tournament Central

FALCONS BEGIN QUEST FOR MAC CHAMPIONSHIP ON FRIDAY

For the first time since 2013, the Bowling Green State University volleyball team will compete in the Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament. The Falcons finished the regular season with an overall record of 20-9. BGSU went 10-6 in MAC play, and secured a first-round bye. The Orange and Brown will play on Friday (Nov. 18) at 6 p.m., and will take on the winner of the Western Michigan and Ball State match.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be broadcasting all matches this weekend. To access the links to the broadcasts, visit the volleyball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com. Additionally, all matches will have live stats. BGSU's Friday match will have a video stream, while the semifinals and finals will be featured on ESPN3. 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.

THE HISTORIC TOMIC TURNAROUND
Head Coach Danijela Tomic has led the second-biggest turnaround in program history this season. After winning seven games last season, BGSU has won 20 games this year to this point. The 13-game difference is second only to when the 1986 team won 26 games after winning 12 the previous season. Furthermore, BGSU secured its first 20-win season since the Falcons won 22 in 2012 during the first year of the Tomic Era.

TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
In order to win the MAC Tournament, the Falcons may very well have to beat three teams in which they've won a combined one set against over four matches. In Bowling Green's first match, they will play Western Michigan or Ball State. Ball State, the higher seed, swept BGSU on Oct. 21. If Bowling Green wins that match, they will play Miami. The RedHawks swept the Falcons in both matches this season. In the final, BGSU could face two-seeded NIU, who defeated Bowling Green by a 3-1 mark on Sept. 24. Although it's a difficult road, there would be nothing more satisfying than beating the top teams in the conference on the path towards a MAC title.

BGSU CONCLUDES REGULAR SEASON WITH SWEEPS OVER BUFFALO AND AKRON
On senior weekend, the Falcons closed out the regular season with a bang at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green swept Buffalo on Nov. 11, and then beat Akron on Nov. 12 on Senior Night. The victories marked the Orange and Brown's 12th and 13th sweeps of the season, which is the most in program history since the 2011 team registered 13 sweeps, as well. Bowling Green hit over .400 as a team in both matches, and were led by Jelena Sunjic, who had 20-plus kills both nights, and did not have a single attack error.

SUNJIC EARNS MAC EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS AFTER INCREDIBLE WEEK
Jelena Sunjic was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, the league office announced Nov. 14. The native of Metkovic, Croatia had the best weekend of her illustrious career over. In 65 attempts, Sunjic had 41 kills (6.83/set), and a remarkable zero errors. Sunjic hit .631 (41-0-65) for the weekend. In the win over Buffalo (Nov. 11), the senior had 21 kills (7.00/set), hit .656 (21-0-32), and had a career-high seven aces. In the victory over Akron (Nov. 12), Sunjic picked up 20 kills (6.67/set) while hitting .606 (20-0-33).

THE BEST LIBERO IN THE LAND
Madeline Garda leads all of Division I volleyball in digs per set (6.55) and total digs (662). Garda has 1,636-career digs, which ranks third all-time in program history. The senior leads the country in total digs by 13, even though the next closest competitor, Morganne Longoria of Valparaiso, has played 23 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)   6.55
2. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   6.00
3. Mikaela Purnell (North Dakota St.)   5.61
4. Cassie Wes (Columbia)   5.51
5. Challen Geraghtyl (Kent State)   5.47

Total Digs [Sets Played]
1. Madeline Garda (Bowling Green)   662 [101]
2. Morganne Longoria (Valparaiso)   649 [124]
3. Madison Martin (Charleston So.)   638 [128]
4. Taylor Austin (James Madison)   636 [106]
5. Challen Geraghty (James Madison)   635 [116]

MARCINIAK'S MONSTER OF A WEEKEND
Freshman setter Isabelle Marciniak had a big weekend for the Falcons over Nov. 4-5 as Bowling Green picked up a win at Kent State (Nov. 4), and then lost a five-set match at Ohio (Nov. 5). The freshman set career highs both nights for assists in a single match. In the win over Kent State, she recorded 49 assists. Marcinaik, who had not even had 50 assists in a match entering the Ohio match, then posted 60 assists against the Bobcats. She currently ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (10.30).

FALCONS WIN EPIC SET AT OHIO
In one of the crazier sets across all of collegiate volleyball this season, the Falcons won the third set of a Nov. 5 match at Ohio by a score of 36-34. In the set, Bowling Green trailed, 23-16, before scoring seven-consecutive points to knot things up at 23-23. Over the remainder of the set, BGSU fought off seven set points, while Ohio fought off four set points. The Orange and Brown went on to win the set with a Jelena Sunjic kill followed by a Bobcat attack error.

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 9-6 in Bowling Green, but the Orange and Brown are a staggering 11-3 away from the Stroh Center. The Falcons are 7-3 in true road matches, and 4-0 in neutral site matches. In those 14 matches away from the Stroh Center this season, BGSU has lost just 15 sets.

BOWLING GREEN IS ALL ABOUT THAT #MACTION
Within the MAC, the Falcons continue to lead a number of team-based statistical categories. BGSU leads the MAC as a team in hitting percentage (.262), assists (13.24/set), kills (14.12/set), aces (1.52/set) and digs (17.51/set). BGSU also sits second opponent hitting percentage (.185). Madeline Garda leads the nation and conference in digs per set at 6.55. Jelena Sunjic is tops in the MAC in kills at 4.66/set. Sunjic also ranks fourth in hitting percentage at .341, Katie Scholten ranks third in assists per set (10.65). Isabelle Marciniak sits fourth in assists (10.30).

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

Isabelle Marciniak

Katie Scholten

Jelena Sunjic

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