Falcons Open Weekend With Hard-Fought Loss To Ohio

Friday, September 30

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

10-6 (0-3MAC)

Ohio

7-9 (3-1MAC)

Ohio

Bowling Green

September 30, 2016 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Photo Gallery (Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications)
Final Statistics: NCAA Box/Play-By-Play | HTML

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Ohio University on Friday (Sept. 30) evening at the Stroh Center. Ohio won the match by a score of 25-19; 28-26; 28-26.
With the loss, Bowling Green falls to 10-6 and 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference. Ohio improves to 7-9 and 3-1 within the conference.

Offensively, the Falcons were led by Jelena Sunjic and Isabel Kovacic. Sunjic racked up 14 kills and hit .265 (14-5-34), while also picking up six digs. Kovacic notched 11 kills, and hit .259 (11-4-27). The sophomore also added three digs.

Nicole Slimko had a nice match offensively, as well, as she picked up eight kills and hit .294 (8-3-17). She continues to work herself back into the rotation following some minor injuries that kept her out of most of the non-conference schedule.

Alyssa Maloney recorded six kills, while Madeline Brandewie chipped in with five. Katie Scholten led the team in assists with 39, and nearly picked up her second double-double of the season, as she also registered eight digs. Scholten had two kills on four attempts, and tallied two service aces, as well.

Madeline Garda continues to lead the nation in digs per set (6.32), and led the Falcons in digs with 11. She also added two service aces and three assists. Kallie Seimet posted eight digs, while Paulina Iacobelli had four, and Delaney Arkeilpane and Maloney had three apiece.

After dropping the first set, 25-19, the Falcons played well enough to take both of the next two sets, but Ohio made just enough plays to earn the sweep.

Bowling Green had two set points in the second set, as the Falcons led 24-23 and 26-25, but both times, Ohio fought back. With the scored then tied at 26-26, a Bowling Green attack error and Ohio kill gave the Bobcats a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

The Falcons went on to fight off two match points in the third set, before an Ohio a kill and a Falcon attack error ended the match. Trailing by a score of 25-24, Slimko posted a key dig, and was set up by Scholten for a kill. Sunjic saved the Falcons with a kill after a service error to even the set, 26-26.

Trailing, 27-26, Iacobelli made a heroic dig, as she dove head first near the scorer's table to keep the point alive. BGSU then hit the ball over the net, and almost won the point on a block, but Ohio then kept the ball alive, and knocked it back over, before an attack error ended the match.

The Orange and Brown will return to the Stroh Center tomorrow (Oct. 1) for a match against Kent State at 7 p.m.

After playing three of its first four MAC matches in Bowling Green, the Falcons will play four-consecutive matches on the road, starting with matches at Akron (Oct. 7) and Buffalo (Oct. 8), before rounding things off with trips to Eastern Michigan (Oct. 14) and Central Michigan (Oct. 15).