Volleyball Continues Conference Play at Kent State, Ohio

Friday, September 29

Kent, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

September 26, 2017 | Volleyball

By: Jenna Jorgensen (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications)

>>FALCONS CONTINUE CONFERENCE ACTION
After a successful showing at four non-conference tournaments, the Bowling Green volleyball program is off to a 1-1 start in Mid-American Conference play. The Falcons will hit the road this week as they face Kent State on Friday, Sept. 29 followed by Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 30, while both matches are slated for 7 p.m. first serves and will be broadcast on ESPN3 for fans unable to attend.

>>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 GOLDEN FLASHES (2-11, 0-2 MAC)
The Kent State Golden Flashes are off to a 2-11 start overall, and are 0-2 in MAC play after facing Akron and Buffalo last week and dropped 3-1 and 3-0 results. Kent State's victories came against Fort Wayne (3-2) and Omaha (3-0).

Offensively, Kelsey Bittinger tops the team with 161 kills for 3.83 kills per set through 13 matches played. At the line, Challen Geraghty has notched 10 of the team's 37 service aces, and posts 5.60 digs per set with 235 this season. Defensively, Myla King has notched a team-leading 23.0 blocks for .66 clocks per set.

>>SCOUTING THE BOBCATS (7-9, 1-1 MAC)
In the process of gaining a 7-9 record this season, the Ohio Bobcats split its opening MAC matches last weekend. The Bobcats' 3-1 win over Akron snapped a six-match losing streak, while on Friday, Sept. 29, Ohio will welcome Miami prior to hosting the Falcons.

With 217 kills, Lizzie Stephens tops the Ohio squad, averaging 3.62 kills per set in addition to accounting for 25 of the team's 71 service aces. With 54 total blocks composed of nine solo and 45 block assists, Tia Jimerson leads the team defensively.

>>SIGHTS SET ON SEIMET
After returning to the starting libero position this season, junior Kallie Seimet has been recognized as Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week for four consecutive weeks. The Oregon, Ohio native has tallied 20-plus digs in nine of 13 matches thus far in the season, and set a new career-high mark with 45 digs in the MAC opener at Miami (Sept. 21). The new career-high surpassed her previous BGSU Volleyball program record of 44 set in last week's 3-2 victory over Seton Hall (Sept. 16). The junior also met the previous record mark with 44 against Northern Illinois (Sept. 23), to average 9.89 digs per set this past weekend. Seimet now leads the nation with 6.63 digs per set in all of Division I women's volleyball, with the next closest player at 6.36 digs per set (Courtney Pence, Illinois State).

>>DOUBLE TROUBLE
In a successful weekend at the net, sophomore setter Isabelle Marciniak marked back-to-back double-double matches against both Miami and Northern Illinois. The native of Lambertville, Mich. firsts tallied 53 assist and 10 digs at Miami in the MAC opener, before following it up with 47 assists and 10 digs against Northern Illinois, making it three of the last four matches in which the setter has earned a double-double. Marciniak now leads the team with freshman Jacqueline Askin, as the duo each post five double-doubles on the season.

>>RECORD NIGHT FOR THE FALCONS
In the Mid-American Conference opener, Kallie Seimet set a program record when she tallied 45 digs against the RedHawks, the most ever in Bowling Green volleyball history. A well-rounded Bowling Green offense featured four Falcons who tallied double-digit kills, in senior Nicole Slimko (14), junior Madeline Brandewie (12), sophomore Celena Kanagin (12) and freshman Jacqueline Askin (11). Two Falcons also marked double-doubles on the night, as sophomore setter Isabelle Marciniak posted 53 assists and 10 digs for her fourth of the year, and as freshman Jacqueline Askin earned 11 kills and 12 digs for her team-leading fifth double-double of the season. It was Askin's seventh time this season marking double-digit kills, while she also led the team with three service aces, a new match-high in her career.

>>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 701-583-3 (.547), including an overall MAC record of 284-253 (.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.

>>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.