Falcons Open Season With Split At Hampton Inn Invitational

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team opened the 2016 season at the Hampton Inn Invitational inside of the Stroh Center on Friday (Aug. 26). The Falcons started the day off with a 3-0 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University, but concluded the evening with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Oakland University.

Bowling Green dominated the play in game one, defeating VCU in straight sets – 25-17; 25-29; 25-22. Alyssa Maloney and Isabel Kovacic led the way offensively with 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively. The 10 kills for Kovacic established a new career high.

Katie Scholten contributed to the attack with 33 assists. Jessi Holly made her Falcon debut, and contributed nicely with 12 digs and seven kills. Madeline Garda racked up 13 digs, while Madeline Brandewie was extremely efficient on the attack, as she posted six kills on seven attempts. As a team, the Falcons hit .296, and received at a .941 clip.

Along with Holly, Celena Kanagin also played her first collegiate match, and notched three kills. The win for Bowling Green marked its first in a season opener since 2011. The Falcons raced out to an early lead, scoring five-consecutive points to claim a 7-3 led, before increasing the advantage to six points at 10-4.

Maloney gave BGSU its biggest lead of the set with a kill to make the score 22-14, and Maloney went on to end the set with a kill to secure the 25-17 set victory. The second set was much closer, as the Falcons led by a score of 21-19 before rattling off four-straight points to win the set. Holly posted consecutive kills to inch the Falcons up to 24 points, and then a service error promptly ended the set.

The third set looked like it would be a breeze, as the Orange and Brown led late in the set, 23-17, but VCU closed the gap to 24-22 prior to a Maloney kill that ended the match.

Bowling Green had opportunities to win each set in the 3-0 defeat to Oakland, but the Golden Grizzlies made more plays late in each set to seize control. BGSU led, 19-17, and 21-20 in the opener, and even tied things up at 24-24, but Oakland went on to take a 1-0 with a 26-24 set victory.

The Falcons again had chances to tie things up at 1-1, as the score was tied at 21-21 in set number two, but Oakland scored four of the final five points to take a commanding 2-0 advantage.

The final set was just as tight. A Brandewie kill knotted the score, 22-22, but Oakland would go on to notch three-consecutive kills to finish off the match. Kovacic, who set her career high in kills against VCU, topped that against Oakland, as she led the way in the category for the Falcons with 12 kills.

Holly set her benchmark in kills with 11, while Maloney followed with eight, and Brandewie registered six for the second match in a row. Scholten followed her 33-assist effort against VCU with 34 assists in the night cap, while Garda led the way in digs with 22. Jelena Sunjic, who has been easing her way back into action after an injury, came on in the third set of the match and recorded two kills.

The Falcons will conclude the Hampton Inn Invitational tomorrow afternoon with a 2 p.m. match versus No. 23 Louisville. Oakland and VCU are sit to duel at noon in the first match of the afternoon.