BGSU Kicks Off MAC Season Against Buffalo And Akron

The Bowling Green State University volleyball program kicks off its Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend with two games on the road. The Falcons will travel to New York on Friday to face Buffalo, and will be in Northeast Ohio on Saturday for a match against Akron on Saturday.

COACH TOMIC QUOTE
"We are excited to open the MAC season this Friday at Buffalo and Saturday at Akron. We had a very challenging non-conference schedule that I believe prepared us well for tough MAC competition. Every team in the MAC has improved from last year and any team can win on any given day. Both Buffalo and Akron had a successful non-conference season and are starting the MAC with winning records.

I think that we match well against both teams, if we execute our game plan well in both matches. Buffalo has one of the best outside hitters in the conference in Mitrovic, and as a team they are very strong offensively. Our defense will have to bring their A game, and offensively we will have to play a very efficient match. Akron is one of the best serving and most improved teams in the MAC this year, so they will test our serve receive and side out skills."

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• Live stats will be provided by Buffalo and Akron athletics.
• Friday's match against Buffalo will be streamed on ESPN3.
• The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) will travel with the team over the weekend to provide radio coverage of Falcons' matches against the Buffalo Bulls and the Akron Zips.
• All links can be accessed at the top of this page, or by visiting the volleyball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com.

SCOUTING THE BUFFALO BULLS
• The Bulls will begin their MAC schedule with an overall record of 8-4.
• The Falcons are 4-0 in their last four meetings against the Bulls. The Bulls' last victory against the Falcons was on Nov. 6, 2015, in which they beat Bowling Green 3-1 in MAC play.
• The Bulls went 2-1 in the American Volleyball Classic that took place last weekend. Bulls' setter Tia Gleason's earned her second straight MAC East Setter of the Week honoree for her performance in the tournament.
• Gleason put up 34 assists against American, and had a career high of 56 assists against Howard. Gleason managed 25 assists in the Bulls' defeat to No. 5 Penn State, bringing her to a total of 115 assists in the tournament.

SCOUTING THE AKRON ZIPS
• The Zips begin their MAC schedule against Miami on Friday before they go against the Falcons on Saturday. The Zips have are at an overall record of 8-3, and currently on a two-game win streak.
• The Zips last win over Bowling Green was on Sept. 27, 2014, in which they swept the Falcons three sets to none.
• Akron brings a strong serving game. The Zips ninth in the NCAA in aces per set with an average of 1.9. Setter Emily Weigand leads the Zips with 29 service aces, which puts her in fifth in the NCAA in total in that category, and sixth in aces per set averaging .69.
• Middle blocker Ashley Richardson ranks 19^th in the NCAA in hitting percentage. Richardson is currently swinging at .416.

STATISTICAL LEADERS FOR THE FALCONS
• Kallie Seimet needs only 13 more digs to reach the 300 mark this season; she is fourth in the NCAA in the total digs with 287. Seimet also ranks second in digs per set with an average of 6.24.
• Isabelle Marciniak is averaging a team-high of 9.25 assists per set and has totaled of 407 assists in the season so far.
• Offensively, Isabel Kovacic leads the Falcons with 96 kills, averaging 2.03 kills per set.
• Katie Kidwell has been in 45 team blocks, five solo and 40 assisted.
• Jacqueline Askin has recorded a team-high of 14 aces this season.

PREPARING FOR CONFERENCE PLAY
• Under the direction of Danijela Tomic, the Falcons have always centered training and non-conference matches around being able to hit the ground running when conference play begins.
• So, even though the 2018 Falcons are off to a 6-7 start, history has shown that BGSU, under Tomic, is still more than capable of competing for championships.
• Last season is a prime example. BGSU went 4-9 in non-conference play before going 13-3 within the conference to earn a share of the regular-season crown.
• Additionally, BGSU is challenging itself with more non-conference games in 2018 away from the Stroh Center. The Falcons have four home non-conference matches – the least amount since playing three games in 2015.

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 are back in Bowling Green next week for back-to-back matches in the Stroh Center. The Falcons host Miami on Thursday, Sept. 27, and Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 29.

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Jacqueline Askin

Katie Kidwell

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