Volleyball Prepares for Big Week of MAC Competition

>>FALCONS PREPARE FOR BIG CONFERENCE BATTLE
The Bowling Green volleyball team is currently tied for first in the Mid-American Conference, as they prepare to host Miami and face Western Michigan on the road in the tenth week of the season. Thursday's home match against the RedHawks will decide who will remain top of the conference, as Miami and the Falcons are tied for first with records of 8-2. Bowling Green will then face Western Michigan, who currently leads MAC West with a record of 7-3. Both matches will also be broadcast on ESPN3 for fans unable to attend.

>>THURSDAY'S PROMOTIONS

SAAC will be hosting Trick or Treat night at the Stroh Center prior to the start of the match, from 6-7 p.m. The event is free to attend, where children can interact with their favorite student-athletes.
All children 13 and under in Halloween costumes will receive free admission.
For students, the match will be a Ziggy Point, Resident Life Challenge and Fraternity and Sorority Life Challenge event.

>>FOLLOW THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be broadcasting all BGSU matches at http://www.bgrso.net/falcon-radio.html. Additionally, all matches will have live stats, which can be found at www.BGSUFalcons.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow BGSU volleyball on Twitter at @BGSUVolleyball for in-match updates.

>>SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS (16-7, 8-2 MAC)
The Miami RedHawks are off to a strong 16-7 start overall and are also 8-2 in MAC play, and are currently on a seven-match win streak through conference play. With 11 first place votes, the RedHawks were selected to finish first in the MAC East Division, as well as in the MAC Tournament. All-time, Miami holds a 50-29 advantage over the Falcons.

Senior Katie Tomasic tops the team with 241 kills for 2.65 kills per set. Narrowly trailing in the RedHawks offense is sophomore Margaret Payne, who posts 237 kills to average 2.63 kills per set. Defensively, senior libero Maeve McDonald averages 5.27 digs per set with 489, while Payne has accumulated 61 total blocks for 0.68 blocks per set. At the line, Miami features a strong server in freshman setter Morgan Seaman, who has tallied a team-leading 18 service aces.

>>SCOUTING THE BRONCOS (14-7, 7-3 MAC)
In the process of gaining a 14-7 record this season, the Toledo Rockets have gone 7-3 in conference competition, and are currently on a two-match win streak. Prior to facing the Falcons, Western Michigan will travel to Dekalb, Ill. for conference competition with NIU on Wednesday, Oct. 25. The Broncos have most recently earned victories over Kent State and Ohio by scores of 3-1. All-time, the Broncos hold a 28-21-1 advantage over the Falcons.

Leading the Broncos with 272 kills for a 3.28 kills per set average is freshman Rachel Bontrager, while the Valparaiso, Ind. native also tops the team with 22 service aces for a 0.27 per set average. At the net, senior Sydney LeMay leads the Western Michigan squad with 73 total blocks for a 0.88 blocks per set average. On the reception for the Broncos is sophomore libero Kathleen Reilly, who averages 5.08 digs per set with a total of 422 on the year.

>>SIGHTS ON SEIMET
After returning to the starting libero position this season, junior Kallie Seimet has been recognized as MAC Defensive Player of the Week for the East Division in six of the season's nine weeks thus far. A native of Oregon, Ohio, Seimet posted 42 digs in the 3-1 win at Toledo by averaging 10.50 digs per set on the night. The performance marked her fourth match of the season with 40+ digs, while the junior also posted an error-free reception on the weekend, and has now had five-straight matches with a perfect serve receive.

Seimet's six Defensive Player of the Week nods ties the program record of awards in a single season by a single player (Caty Rommeck, 2000). Seimet surpassed 1,300 career digs, and now tallies 1,369 over her three seasons, which ranks sixth overall in Bowling Green volleyball program history. In addition to seven 30+ dig performances, Seimet also set a new career-high mark and Bowling Green program record of 45 digs in the MAC opener at Miami (Sept. 21).

With a 6.83 digs per set average, Seimet continues to lead the nation in all of Division I women's volleyball, with the next closest player at 6.16 digs per set (Rylee Hunt, Niagara). By totaling 560 digs this season, the junior libero also ranks first nation in total digs.

>>DOUBLE TROUBLE
In a successful weekend at the net, sophomore setter Isabelle Marciniak marked her team-leading ninth double-double performance when she posted 36 assists and 18 digs at Ball State (Oct. 20). After earning her first double-double with 47 assists and 14 digs versus UIC (Aug. 25), Marciniak also went five-straight matches marking double-doubles (Sept. 16-30).

>>STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Freshman Katie Kidwell is making an early impact with the Falcons defense, as she leads the team with 104 total blocks on the season to average 1.28 blocks per set in addition to leading the team with an error-free serve receive. Against Ohio and Kent State, the Watseka, Ill. native posted 15 total blocks, including a career-high of 11 in the 3-1 win at Kent State (Sept. 29), earning her first career MAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Kidwell followed the weekend up by earning 10 total blocks in the sweep of Central Michigan (Oct. 14), just one shy of her career-high of 11 in a match. Kidwell has been named MAC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, while with the addition of Seimet's six, the Falcons have picked up eight of the nine awards on the year.

At the line, sophomore Paulina Iacobelli tallied a career-best five service aces in the 3-1 win at Ohio (Sept. 30), which marked the Falcons first road win at Ohio since Nov. 10, 2001. Since then, Iacobelli has continually tallied aces to mark a team-leading 24 on the season to average 0.34 service aces per set. A native of Novi, Mich. Iacobelli tied her career-best of five service aces in the sweep of Central Michigan (Oct. 14) as well. Well rounded at the line, the Falcons have five players who have posted double-digit aces so far this season.

>>FALCONS BEGIN 42ND YEAR OF VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Bowling Green State University volleyball dates back to 1967, when the program started as a club team. In 1976, BGSU started competing at the varsity level. The Falcons have racked up a program record of 707-583-3 (.547), including an overall MAC record of 290-253 (.529). The Orange and Brown last won the MAC Tournament and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2012 – Danijela Tomic's first year at the helm of the program. The Falcons have won two MAC Tournament titles (2012, 1991), two East Division titles (2001, 2000), and have won the MAC regular-season title three times (1992, 1991, 1989).

>>ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM TIMES-TWO
Junior Madeline Brandewie was named to an All-Tournament Team for the second time this season when she marked a team-high of 15 kills while hitting .306 in the Falcons comeback victory over Seton Hall in the VCU Invitational. The 15 kills were a new season-high for the junior, while on the weekend she posted a strong .233 attack. Brandewie was also named to the BGSU/Toledo Invitational All-Tournament Team earlier this season for her offensive efforts, and was the only Falcon to be named to two all-tournament teams this season. Brandewie recently set a new career-high mark when she earned four of the Falcons six service aces in the 3-1 victory at Toledo (Oct. 21).

>>TOMIC'S STAFF FOR 2017
Danijela Tomic enters her sixth year at the helm of the program. She guided the Falcons to a MAC Tournament title and a win in the NCAA Tournament in her first year at BGSU in 2012. Tomic returns assistant coach Alex DelPiombo for a second season, while Alison Cooke joins the program for her first season as an assistant coach for the Falcons. Evan Antal begins his second season as the director of operations. Cooke was previously the volunteer assistant at Duke University since March 2015. The Falcons are also assisted by first-year volunteer assistant coach Andrew Sydow, who was a men's volleyball student-athlete at Mount Olive.

>>ORANGE AND BROWN BOOST A YOUNG AND EXPERIENCED ROSTER
The Falcons return 11 players from the successful 2016 season, which includes just one senior on the 15-member roster. Joining senior outside hitter Nicole Slimko on the court this season will be four juniors, six sophomores and four freshmen.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Madeline Brandewie

Paulina Iacobelli

Katie Kidwell

Isabelle Marciniak

Kallie Seimet

Nicole Slimko

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics