Falcon Volleyball Host Tough Conference Matchups Versus Toledo And Ball State

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball program are back in the Stroh Center to host the Toledo Rockets (8-11, 3-5 MAC) on Friday, Oct. 19, and the Ball State Cardinals (16-5, 7-1 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Falcons volleyball will be celebrating heroes' day during Friday's matchup against the Toledo Rockets. There will be a military member recognition at the intermission.
The team will have their final autograph session after Friday's Battle of I-75.

Dollar tickets, concessions, and free parking are being offered to the Falcon faithful on Saturday, which marks Fan Appreciation Day. Following the match, Wonder Woman will be played on the video board, and free popcorn will be made available to fans who stick around for the movie.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Live stats throughout the weekend will be provided by BGSU Athletics.
• Both matchups will be streamed on ESPN+.
• The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will be in the Stroh Center to provide live coverage of an action-packed weekened for the Falcons volleyball program.
• All links can be accessed at the top of this page, or by visiting the volleyball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com.

COACH TOMIC QUOTE
"We are happy to be back in the Stroh and play in front of our fans. We expect two tough and competitive matches against Toledo and Ball State.

Toledo is a much improved team with strong serve receive and offense that can be dangerous when they are on.

Ball State has the same record as us, and is one of the best teams in the MAC. They run one of the best offenses and lead the conference in hitting percentages and blocks.

We will have to be extremely disciplined and efficient, both offensively and defensively, to put ourselves in a position to win against either team."

ISABELLE MARCINIAK ON THE TEAM'S CURRENT SUCCESS
"I think that this season is different from last season in regards to behind the scenes things. Last season we were still figuring out what type of team we wanted to be, what we were going to be known for, and I think this season we have that established, and it's all about sticking to those core values. It's [good] having the freshman come in and knowing what to expect. On the court, we want to be known for our discipline and our unity.

Going into this season, we knew it would be different then going into last season because we have targets on our backs. When we play teams in our conference, they're excited to play us and potentially beat us, but it shouldn't affect how we prepare."

SCOUTING THE TOLEDO ROCKETS
• The Toledo Rockets enter Friday's competition with a conference record of 3-5. The Rockets were defeated in the four matches previous to their recent win against the Ohio Bobcats.
• Senior Maurissa Leonard ranks fourth in the NCAA in the digs per set category with an average of 5.91. Toledo's libero also has registered 443 digs this season, making her ninth in the NCAA rankings in total digs. BGSU libero Kallie Seimet, currently at 497 digs, is six spots ahead of the Toledo libero.
• The Falcons are on a two-match winning streak against the Rockets. Toledo last defeated the Falcons in the 2015 season, in a 3-2 win in the Savage Arena.

SCOUTING THE BALL STATE CARIDNALS
• The Ball State Cardinals have only seen defeat once in the 2018 MAC season (at Northern Illinois, 1-3).
• The Falcons and the Cardinals are both currently 7-1 in the MAC.
• The Cardinals have defeated the Falcons in their past four meetings. Ball State swept the Falcons in three of those four occasions.

STATISTICAL LEADERS FOR THE FALCONS
• Kallie Seimet continues to lead the NCAA in digs per set with an updated average of 6.54. The libero from Oregon, Ohio is currently at 497 digs this season, making her third in the NCAA total digs category.
• The Falcons rank third in the NCAA in digs per set and 10^th in team digs. The Orange and Brown are averaging 19.24 digs per set, and have registered 1,462 digs in the 2018-19 season. On the offensive end, the Falcons are third in team attacks per set, averaging 40.3.
• Isabelle Marciniak has put up 643 assists for her teammates this season. After playing in 71 sets this season, the setter is averaging 9.05 assists per set.
• Katelyn Meyer leads the Falcons in kills with 154. Madeline Brandewie (151), Katie Kidwell (147), and Isabel Kovacic (145) all trail closely behind.
• Katie Kidwell has been involved in 83 blocks. Kidwell is up to 12 solo blocks and 71 block assists this season.

FALCONS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MAC EAST
• Bowling Green was picked to finish second in the East Division, as voted on by the conference's 12 head coaches.
• The Falcons received three votes to win the regular season, and one vote to win the 2018 MAC Tournament.
• Ohio was picked to win the East Division, regular-season title, and tournament title. Ball State was picked to win the MAC West.
• Additionally, senior libero Kallie Seimet and sophomore middle blocker Katie Kidwell were selected to the seven-member Preseason East All-MAC Team.
• Seimet averaged 6.81 digs per set last year to lead the country. In fact, it marked the second-straight season that a Falcon led the nation in the category, as Madeline Garda averaged 6.66 digs per set in 2016.

UP NEXT
The Falcons will play their last pair of regular season home matches versus Akron and Buffalo on Friday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 27.

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