Falcons Fall In Closely Contested Match With No. 22 Western Kentucky

Friday, September 2

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

2-3,0-0MAC

#22 Western Kentucky

-51,00 CUSA

Western Ky.

Bowling Green

Photo by: Morgan Holscher, BGSU Athletics

Falcons Fall In Closely Contested Match With No. 22 Western Kentucky

September 02, 2022 | Volleyball

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By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball program played four sets against No. 22 Western Kentucky in front of a full Stroh Center crowd on Friday night (Sept. 2). The Falcons battled through a close first set before evening the match with a second set win. Western Kentucky responded in the third set before closing out the match with a late rally in the fourth set to best BGSU 3-1.

The loss moves the Falcons to 2-3 on the young season with one more match to play this weekend. The Orange and Brown are set to conclude the Hampton Inn Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 3) against DePaul. The match is set for a 3:00 p.m. first serve at the Stroh Center.

How It Happened
Set 1: Western Kentucky 25, Bowling Green 21

The first set began close, going to a 4-4 tie, but Bowling Green slowly began to build a lead, reaching four points at 9-5 with a 5-1 stretch.
Western Kentucky was able to narrow the gap and take an eventual lead at 18-17 with a 4-0 run.
The match stayed close with ties at 18-18 and 19-19, but WKU was able to pair points together and create space for a 25-21 first set win.

Set 2: Bowling Green 25, Western Kentucky 22

The second set began similarly to the first set with the two teams trading points nearly up to the media timeout. With a 3-0 burst, Bowling Green took a 15-13 lead into the media break.
The Falcons continued to add to the lead, growing to 22-18 before a 3-0 run by WKU trimmed the lead down to 22-21.
After a timeout, Bowling Green tallied three of the next four points to take the set 25-22.

Set 3: Western Kentucky 25, Bowling Green 17

The even starts to sets continued into the third set, going to a 4-4 tie before a 3-0 run for WKU put the Hilltoppers up 9-5.
The Falcons were able to trade points through the set, frequently staying within three points of Western Kentucky.
WKU stretched their lead to 19-15 and eventually used a 4-0 run to take the set 25-17 and go up 2-1 for the match.

Set 4: Western Kentucky 27, Bowling Green 25

The Falcons came out swinging in the fourth set, jumping to a 7-4 lead, but a quick 3-0 run for WKU knotted it up at 7-7.
Bowling Green soon responded with a 3-0 run of their own to push back in front 14-9.
The Orange and Brown were able to hold the lead until a 6-0 run for WKU tied it up at 24-24. The Falcons went up 25-24, but three straight Western Kentucky points ended the match at 3-1 WKU.

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Kat Mandly (19)
Assists: Jaden Walz (21)
Digs: Yelianiz Torres (18)
Aces:Yelianiz Torres (4)
Blocks: Jessica Andrews, Alexis Mettille (2.0)

Falcon Stat Facts

Kat Mandly recorded a team-high 19 kills in the match, setting a new season-high while also matching her career-high for kills in a match. Mandly also had a season-high three block assists for the Falcons.
Freshman Lauryn Hovey made her Stroh Center debut and tallied a season-high 10 kills for the Orange and Brown. Hovey ended the night with a .304 hitting percentage on 23 attacks.
Yelianiz Torres landed a team-high four aces for the Falcons. The mark matches Torres' career-high.
Hannah Best saw her first action of the season, logging a dig and five serve receives.

Up Next
The Falcons will round out the weekend on Saturday (Sept. 3) against DePaul with a 3:00 p.m. first serve. The match will mark the final matchup of the Hampton Inn Invitational before Bowling Green heads to the Panther Invitational next weekend.

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